Excel Keyboard Shortcut to Reduce Decimal Places in Cells

In Excel for Microsoft 365 for Windows, select the cells and press Alt+H, 9 to reduce the number of decimal places shown. Press the keys in sequence—not all at once—and repeat the shortcut to remove another displayed decimal place each time.

The Windows Shortcut and What It Does

Alt+H, 9 is the ribbon Key Tip sequence for the Decrease Decimal command on the Home tab. Press Alt to show Key Tips, press H for Home, then press 9. Depending on the Excel window and version, Key Tips appear over ribbon commands as you go; follow the displayed prompts if they differ. The shortcut applies to the currently selected cells, so select the intended range before using it.

Each use reduces the displayed decimal count by one. For example, a value shown as 18.476 might display as 18.48 after one press, then 18.5 after another. Excel adjusts the cells’ number format; it does not normally rewrite the underlying numeric values. The number may therefore look rounded even though calculations can still use its original precision.

If you want more decimal places again, use Alt+H, 0, the corresponding Increase Decimal Key Tip sequence. The result depends on the selected cells’ current format, so check a representative cell if you are applying the shortcut to a mixed selection.

How to Use It on a Range

Select one cell, a contiguous range, or multiple non-adjacent cells. To select a range with the keyboard, click the first cell, hold Shift, and select the last cell; you can also drag across the cells.
Press Alt, then H, then 9. In other words, use the ribbon shortcut sequence rather than holding all three keys simultaneously.
Look at the displayed values. If they still show more precision than you want, repeat Alt+H, 9. If they show too few digits, press Alt+H, 0 to increase the displayed precision.
Save the workbook when you are satisfied. The change is a formatting edit, so it can usually be reversed with Ctrl+Z immediately after applying it.

When several cells are selected, the command affects all eligible selected cells at once. This is useful for a whole column of measurements or prices, but take care with a mixed selection: a date, percentage, or custom-formatted cell may not respond in the way you expect from an ordinary decimal number.

Displayed Decimal Places Versus Stored Values

Reducing decimal places is primarily a visual change. Suppose A1 contains 7.2364. After reducing the displayed places, the cell might show 7.24, but the stored value remains 7.2364. A formula elsewhere that adds or multiplies A1 uses the stored value, not merely the two digits visible on screen. This distinction matters when totals appear slightly different from calculations made by hand using the shortened display.

Excel’s number format controls how a value appears; it does not generally change the value used in calculations. The formula bar can reveal more of a cell’s contents when the cell is selected, although its presentation is not always a complete substitute for inspecting the value or formula. If a cell contains a formula, reducing decimal places does not edit that formula.

There is an important exception in practice: a workbook can be configured to use precision as displayed. That setting can permanently discard precision across the workbook, and it is not the ordinary effect of pressing Decrease Decimal. Avoid changing that setting unless you understand the consequences and have a backup. In normal use, the shortcut changes formatting only.

Where to Find the Command on the Ribbon

If you prefer not to use the keyboard, select the cells and choose Home > Number > Decrease Decimal. The button is in the Number group, near the number-format controls. The icon typically shows decimal places with an arrow indicating a reduction. Hover over it to see its ScreenTip if you are unsure which of the neighboring decimal buttons to choose.

The ribbon button and Alt+H, 9 perform the same formatting command. The button can be easier when you are learning Excel or when Key Tips are unfamiliar; the keyboard sequence is quicker once remembered. You can also use the Number Format options in the same group to choose a specific format, such as Number, Currency, or Percentage, rather than simply stepping down from the current decimal display.

Examples for Numbers, Percentages, and Currency

For a simple number, imagine a cell holding 3.14159 and displaying five decimal places. One press of Decrease Decimal reduces the display by one place; further presses continue to reduce it. The value remains available at its original precision for calculations unless you explicitly change the value or use a workbook setting that changes precision.

For a percentage, the decimal places refer to digits after the percentage’s decimal point, not to the underlying fraction. A value of 0.12345 formatted as a percentage displays as 12.345%. Reducing the displayed precision can show 12.35%, then 12.4%. It does not convert the value to 12.4 or change the percentage scale; the percent format still represents the value as a percentage.

Currency and accounting formats can also display decimal places. Reducing them may make a price or amount easier to scan, but removing cents from a report does not necessarily make the underlying amounts whole dollars. For financial records, retain the precision required for the task and make clear whether totals are calculated from exact values or from rounded values.

Excel for Mac and Excel for the Web

Alt+H, 9 is the Windows ribbon Key Tip sequence; it is not a universal Mac shortcut. In Excel for Mac, select the cells and use the Decrease Decimal button on the Home tab, in the Number group. Mac keyboard behavior varies from Windows, so do not assume that the Windows Alt sequence will trigger the same command. Excel for the web also presents the ribbon command, though browser and keyboard settings can affect access-key behavior. When the sequence does not work, use the ribbon button rather than guessing at a substitute.

The button is a reliable option across these environments because it avoids differences in keyboard layouts, operating-system shortcuts, and browser handling. If you switch between Windows, Mac, and the web version, remember the command name—Decrease Decimal—rather than relying on one key combination everywhere.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

The number looks unchanged: Check that the intended cells were selected and that they contain numeric values rather than numbers stored as text. Text does not respond to numeric number formatting in the same way. Try selecting one known numeric cell and using the ribbon command.
The value seems wrong in a total: The displayed number may be rounded while the underlying value retains more digits. Increase the displayed decimals to inspect more precision, or decide whether the calculation itself should use rounded values.
Cells show hash marks: A column may be too narrow to display the formatted value. Widen the column or use AutoFit by double-clicking the right edge of its column heading.
Only some selected cells change: A selection can contain text, dates, or different number formats. Check the formats and contents of the cells that behaved differently; apply an appropriate format to the full range if consistent display is needed.
The shortcut types a character or does something else: Confirm you are using the Windows desktop version and pressing Alt, H, and 9 in sequence. Key Tips can be affected by the active window or keyboard layout. Use Home > Number > Decrease Decimal as a fallback.

When to Reduce Display Precision and When to Round

Use Decrease Decimal when you want a cleaner view without changing the precision used in calculations. This is often appropriate for dashboards, summary tables, and reports where a shorter display is easier to read. Preserve the full values in the workbook if later calculations, reconciliation, or audit work may depend on them.

Use a rounding formula when you specifically need a rounded result for subsequent calculations. For example, with the original value in A2, enter =ROUND(A2,2) in B2 to calculate a value rounded to two decimal places. If A2 contains 12.3456, B2 returns 12.35. The formula creates a rounded result in B2; it does not change A2. Copy the formula down for other rows if needed. Check the rounding rules required for your accounting, scientific, or reporting work before replacing original data.

Another option is to set a precise number format rather than clicking repeatedly. Open the Format Cells dialog with Ctrl+1 on Windows, choose the Number category, and set the decimal places you want. This is helpful when you need a specific display standard across a report. Formatting is still distinct from changing the stored values.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shortcut to decrease decimal places in Excel?
In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the cells and press Alt+H, then 9. Repeat the sequence to reduce the displayed decimal places further.

Does Alt+H, 9 round the number in the cell?
It changes the number format and what you see, not usually the stored value. Calculations continue to use the underlying value unless you deliberately round it or use the workbook’s precision-as-displayed setting.

How do I add decimal places back?
On Windows, select the cells and press Alt+H, then 0 to increase the displayed decimal places. You can also click Home > Number > Increase Decimal.

Is there a Mac shortcut to reduce decimals?
The Windows sequence Alt+H, 9 is not a universal Mac shortcut. In Excel for Mac, select the cells and click Decrease Decimal on the Home tab in the Number group.

How do I make Excel actually round a value?
Use a rounding formula when the calculated result itself must be rounded. With the original value in A2, =ROUND(A2,2) returns a result rounded to two decimal places in the cell containing the formula.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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