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How to Normalize Numbers and Currency in Excel (2 Decimal Format)

Messy numbers and inconsistent currencies cause confusion in reports. Learn how to standardize all numbers into a clean 2-decimal currency format in Excel.

RowTidy Team
Jan 20, 2024
7 min read
Excel, Data Cleaning, Currency, Numbers, Best Practices

How to Normalize Numbers and Currency in Excel (2 Decimal Format)

If you've ever worked with Excel sheets from multiple vendors or sources, you've probably seen numbers and currencies in all kinds of messy formats:

  • $10 vs 10.00 USD vs 10,00
  • Inconsistent decimal places like 5, 5.5, and 5.56789
  • Different regional formats like 1,000.50 vs 1.000,50

These inconsistencies cause errors in reporting, wrong totals, and frustration during analysis.

This guide shows you how to normalize numbers and currency into a clean 2-decimal format (e.g., 1234.50).

🚨 Why Normalizing Numbers & Currency Matters

  • ✅ Ensures consistency across reports
  • ✅ Prevents formula errors (SUM, VLOOKUP, PIVOT)
  • ✅ Easier to compare data from different vendors/countries
  • ✅ Required for financial reporting & compliance

🛠 Method 1: Using Excel Number Formatting

  1. Select the column with numbers/currency.
  2. Press Ctrl + 1 (Format Cells).
  3. Under Number → Currency:
    • Choose your currency symbol (e.g., USD, EUR).
    • Set Decimal places: 2.

✔️ This instantly displays all numbers in a standardized format.

🛠 Method 2: ROUND Function

To permanently round numbers to 2 decimals:

=ROUND(A2, 2)

Examples:

  • 5.678 → 5.68
  • 10 → 10.00

For financial rounding, use ROUND instead of TRUNC.

🛠 Method 3: FIXED Function (Convert to Text)

=FIXED(A2, 2, TRUE)
  • Always shows 2 decimals.
  • Removes commas if the third parameter is TRUE.

🛠 Method 4: VALUE + SUBSTITUTE (for messy imports)

If numbers are stuck as text ("1,000.50" or "10 USD"):

=VALUE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"USD",""))

✔️ Converts text into proper numbers.
✔️ Combine with ROUND to clean decimals.

🛠 Method 5: Power Query for Large Datasets

For large CSV or Excel imports:

  1. Load data into Power Query.
  2. Select the column → Transform → Data Type → Currency.
  3. Power Query automatically enforces 2-decimal numeric format.

✅ Best Practices for Number Normalization

  • Always remove text/currency symbols before applying formulas.
  • Store raw numbers in one column, formatted currency in another if needed.
  • Validate totals after cleaning to ensure accuracy.
  • For international data, agree on one global standard (e.g., USD, 2 decimals).

🤖 Automatic Normalization with RowTidy

Instead of fixing currency issues manually, RowTidy automates the process:

  • Converts all numbers to 2-decimal standard format.
  • Detects and removes unwanted symbols like USD, $, INR.
  • Handles thousands of rows in seconds — perfect for vendor & finance data.
  • Exports back to Excel, CSV, or Google Sheets.

📌 Conclusion

Normalizing numbers and currency isn't just about looks — it's about accuracy and trust in your data.

By using Excel functions (ROUND, FIXED, VALUE) or Power Query, you can standardize messy data quickly. But if you're working with large vendor files or monthly invoices, tools like RowTidy save hours of manual cleanup.

✍️ Tired of fixing inconsistent numbers?

👉 Try RowTidy today and let AI normalize your data automatically.