Why do I need different number formats?

You can change the appearance of numbers by changing number formats. Number formats differentiate one kind of data from another; for example, currency from percentages. Number formats affect only how numbers are displayed, not how they are stored or calculated.

You can change the number format for an entire worksheet. The initial default number format is General. You can also change the number format for a selected range.



See also
Entering a number
Formatting numbers as currency
Formatting numbers as dates
Formatting numbers as times