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How to round data in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet? Step by step guide

By default, Excel is considered the main spreadsheet program that is used in the office environment, today. Which belongs to Microsoft and is characterized by providing a remarkable amount of functions and utilities that simplify user tasks completely.

Thus, among its greatest advantages, we find that it allows presenting the data in an aesthetic way, it is ideal for order, analyze, rearrange and present your data easily, as well as to store numerical data in an optimized way. Also, it allows create formulas to perform simple and complex calculations on a set of values.

In this sense, Microsoft Excel It is an excellent alternative to round data within a spreadsheet, without any complication. But, despite the fact that this is a very useful functionality, the truth is that many people they don't know how they can use it and that is why, below, we explain how to do it in a timely manner.

Learn how to round decimal places of a data group in Microsoft Excel

Globally, the term "rounding" is defined as a process that makes it easy to discard numbers in the decimal expression of a digit. So, it consists of eliminating certain differences in order to consider an entire unit as such. Thus, it is used with the aim of simplifying the calculations or issuing the results in a generalized way, without pointing the value more accurately. So, due to the effectiveness that rounding reveals decimals for a certain calculation, provides this function as standard.

This, in order to optimize the numerical results of your users within the spreadsheets in which data of this type is managed. However, it should be noted that, although the rounded values ​​are calculated correctly, rounding errors accumulate and so results may deviate from actual digits.

Now, having clarified this very special point, it is time to teach you the steps to follow to achieve rounding data in Excel, correctly:

Upwards

In case you did not know yet, it should be noted that the function round in Excel takes care of round an integer up or down, depending on the nature of the security in question. Considering that specifically that particularity will depend on the fractional part of the digit. Since if it is 0.5 or greater, the number must be rounded upwards. Whereas, if the fractional part is less than 0.5, the number has to be rounded down.

Consequently, if you need to round a digit that is equal to or greater than 0.5 in Microsoft Excel, the process to follow consists of the following:

  • First of all, access the Excel document in which you want to perform this type of calculation or, failing that, start creating the table containing the numbers to be rounded.
  • Then proceed to search and select the cell (s) where you need to apply formatting, in this way. Taking into account that, to round off upwards, must be figures with decimals equal to or greater than 0.5.
  • Then, directly from the software options bar, go to the Start tab and look for the group called "Number", in order to proceed to click on “Increase decimals”.

Down

On the contrary, if you need decrease decimals in view of the fact that the figures are less than 0.5, you will have to proceed to round down in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

In this case, the steps are:

Down

  • As we explained previously, you must start with enter the Excel document in which you want to perform this type of calculation.
  • Thereafter, search and select all the cell (s) where you need to apply this format. Taking into account that, to round off down, the digits with decimals they must be less than 0.5.
  • Finally, from the Excel Ribbon, locate the group called "Number" on the Home tab and proceed to select the icon corresponding to "Decrease decimals".

Common rounding mistakes What are they and how to fix them in Microsoft Excel?

When using Microsoft Excel to manage and round any number of digits, it is probable that the system or program generates certain errors that are common at the time of enter certain values ​​or combinations that Excel itself does not approve and therefore cannot execute.

However, you will wonder what errors are involved and this is why, in this section of the post, we will teach you the most common of them and their specific solution: