"How To Excel" Mini-Tutorials
by TheExcelAddict.com
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Display Values With Dollars And Cents Symbols


There may be times when you want to show a cents symbol (¢) for values that are less than $1.00 and a dollar symbol($) for values that are a dollar or more. To do this you need to use a "conditional number format" (i.e. a number format that depends on the condition). If the condition is that the value in the cell is less than a dollar, the cents symbol will be displayed (i.e. .87¢) otherwise, the dollar symbol will be displayed.

To create this conditional number format...

  1. Select the range of cells you want to apply this format to.
  2. Select Format, Cells, and click the Number tab.
  3. In the Category field, select Custom.
  4. In the Type field, enter [<1].00¢;$0.00_¢
    Note: You can copy this format directly from this web page or, if you enter it yourself, remember that to get the cents symbol you need to hold down the ALT key and enter 155 (or 0162),then release the ALT key.
  5. Click OK.
Caveat: Technically .87¢ is not 87 cents, it's 87 one hundredths of a cent. So use this with caution. No, you can't get rid of the decimal - I tried it.

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