How to Round Numbers in Excel
Use the ROUND function to round numbers up or down. Rounding numbers is not the same as changing the number format or changing the number of decimal places displayed in a worksheet. These only change how the number appears in the worksheet. When you round a number, you change how the number appears and how Excel stores the number. Excel stores the number as the new rounded number, the original value is removed. The syntax of the ROUND function is: ROUND(number,num_digits) The number argument specifies the number that is to be rounded. The number argument can be a specified value (for example, 1234.4321) or a cell reference (such as A2). The num_digits argument is the number of digits to which the number argument will be rounded. The num_digits argument can be a specified value or a cell reference to a cell that contains the num_digits value.
A 0 (zero) num_digits argument rounds a whole number to the nearest integer and rounds a decimal value to a whole number. For example, the function =ROUND(1234.4321,0) rounds the number to 1234.A positive num_digits argument (the argument is greater than 0) rounds the number to the specified number of decimal places. A positive num_digits argument rounds the number to the right of the decimal point. For example, the function =ROUND(1234.4321,2) rounds the number to 1234.43.A negative num_digits argument (the argument is less than 0) rounds the number to the left of the decimal point. For example, the function =ROUND(1234.4321,-2) rounds the number to 1200.
When Excel uses the ROUND function to round numbers, it follows conventional rounding rules. For values that are less than 5, Excel rounds down to the nearest number. For values that are 5 or higher, Excel rounds up to the nearest number. Here are some examples of how the ROUND function is used in Excel:
Apply the Round Formula in Excel to a Number
When you want to see the effect rounding has on a number, enter that value as the number argument in the ROUND function. To display the results of a rounded number:
Round Existing Values with the ROUND Function
When you have a worksheet full of data, and you want to round columns of numbers, apply the ROUND function to one cell, then copy the formula to the other cells. To use the Function Arguments dialog box to enter the ROUND function:
