Stop Excel from Rounding Numbers: The Complete Guide

Have you ever entered a long decimal or large number in Excel, only to have it rounded or displayed incorrectly? Dealing with seemingly arbitrary rounding in Excel can be frustrating. But don’t worry – you can take control and stop Excel from rounding numbers with a few simple tricks.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover common rounding issues in Excel and walk through step-by-step solutions to display full numbers exactly as intended. Read on to become a rounding troubleshooter!

Why Does Excel Round Numbers?

Before diving into fixes, let’s quickly understand what causes Excel to round in the first place. The main culprits are:

• Narrow columns – If a column isn’t wide enough to show the full number, Excel will round to fit.

• Too many digits – Excel only displays a maximum of 15 significant digits. Extra digits display as zeros.

• Cell formatting – Some formats like currency or percentage round to a set number of decimal places.

• Exponential display – Large numbers may display in scientific notation, appearing rounded.

Fix 1: Widen Columns

If you see rounding only in certain columns, width is likely the culprit. Excel crunches numbers to fit based on column size.

To widen columns:

• Double-click the right border of the column header. This auto-sizes to fit.

• Or manually drag the column edge to desired width.

• You may need to widen multiple adjacent columns.

This gives Excel enough room to display the full numbers properly. No more rounded figures squished into tiny columns!

![Widen columns to fix rounding][]

Tip: For quick column widening, double-click the edge with data

Fix 2: Display 15+ Digits as Text

Excel limits cells to 15 numeric digits. More than that get rounded to zeros.

To show full numbers with 16+ digits, convert to text:

• Enter ‘ before the number, forcing text format
• The ‘ won’t show after entering, just aids formatting
• Text format preserves digits without rounding
• But you lose numeric capabilities like math![Add apostrophe to show 15+ digits][]

Tip: Text format keeps all digits intact

Fix 3: Change Format from General to Number

The default “General” format only shows a certain number of digits before using scientific notation.

To keep large numbers displayed fully:

• Select cells and press Ctrl + 1 or right-click > Format Cells
• On Number tab, choose “Number” from Category
• This avoids scientific rounding and shows full digits![Change format to number to avoid rounding][]

Tip: Number format displays all digits without exponential display

Fix 4: Increase Decimal Places

Does Excel round your decimal numbers to two places? This is common with currency or accounting formats.

To view more decimal places:

• Select cells, press Ctrl + 1 or right-click > Format Cells
• Under Category, pick Currency, Accounting, or Number
• Increase the Decimal Places setting as needed
• Click OK to show decimals without rounding![Increase decimal places to avoid rounding][]

Tip: Control precision of decimal rounding with this setting

Fix 5: Paste as Values to Remove Formatting

An existing cell format may be rounding your pasted data. To paste without formatting:

• After copying data, right-click and select Paste Special
• Choose Values to paste only the number values
• This removes any prior formatting that may be rounding
• Values paste preserves full precision without rounding![Paste as values to avoid cell formatting rounding][]

Tip: Paste Special > Values removes rounding cell formats

Fix 6: Display Fractions Properly

Has Excel converted your fractions to decimal equivalents? To keep them intact:

• Select cells and press Ctrl + 1 or right-click > Format Cells
• On Number tab, choose Fraction from Category
• Adjust the type from automatic to show proper fractions
• No more unwanted decimals – display exact fractions![Format as fraction to keep fractions from rounding][]

Tip: Fraction formatting maintains fraction appearance

When Rounding is Acceptable

In some cases, rounding in Excel is expected and even beneficial:

• Reducing excessive decimal places for cleaner appearance
• Shortening extra digits from imported data
• Rounding metrics to reasonable precision based on usage
• Formatting currency to two decimal places per convention

The goal is to distinguish when rounding is helpful versus unintended. Master these techniques to dictate rounding rules!

Round vs. Display: Know the Difference

A common misconception is that Excel permanently alters rounded values. In reality, it just affects how they display.

Remember:

• Excel stores full precision numbers internally
• Formatting controls number of displayed digits
• Calculations use real values, not rounded appearances
• Changing format reveals underlying accurate values

So Excel doesn’t really round off or lose data. It just hides part of the number according to cell settings. An empowering perspective!

Tips for Handling Rounding

Here are some best practices for managing rounding in Excel:

• Widen columns, especially before pasting or importing data
• Be mindful of cell formats and decimal places
• Use text format for exact display of very long numbers
• Paste as values to avoid inherent formatting
• Double-check key cells to validate no unwanted rounding
• Document rounding rules when standardizing metrics
• Balance precision with unnecessary decimal clutter

Following these tips will help you take charge of rounding!

Rounding Use Cases

Now let’s discuss some common business scenarios where managing Excel rounding is crucial:

• Accounting – Currency values round to two decimals by default. Display more decimals for precise figures.
• Finance – Stocks, bonds, interest rates and yields require exact decimal values without rounding distortion.
• Statistics – Sanitize rounding of metrics like averages and percentages for accurate analysis.
• Engineering – Maintain high precision of measurements and specifications by displaying full digits.
• Science – Reduce false rounding of decimal figures when recording experimental data.
• Auditing – Validate no improper rounding occurring when reconciling reports.

Any situation requiring numerical integrity demands control over Excel rounding behavior.

Advanced: VBA to Increase Decimal Places

For frequent rounding issues, use a handy VBA macro to boost decimal places with one click: Sub IncreaseDecimals() Range("A1:Z100").NumberFormat = "0.000000" End Sub

• Paste this into a new module
• Customize range and decimals as needed
• Add button to Quick Access Toolbar to run macro

No more hunting through cell formats! Handle rounding programmatically.

Take Control of Rounding

Working with Excel rounding doesn’t have to be a guessing game. You now have the knowledge and techniques to display numbers precisely as required.

The key points we covered:

• Widen columns to allow space for full numbers
• Use text format or number format to show all digits
• Increase decimal places to desired precision
• Paste values to avoid inheriting formats
• Format cells to maintain fractions as needed
• Store full numbers internally, just adjust display
• Apply best practices for managing rounding

Put these handy skills to work in eliminating rounding headaches. Let us know if you have any other Excel rounding issues arise – we’re always seeking to help you master Excel’s quirks and features!