FIXED function

FIXED returns a number as text, rounded to a specified number of decimal places and optionally displayed without thousands separators.

=FIXED(number, [decimals], [no_commas])

Generate a FIXED formula

Describe what you need. The generator will reach for FIXED where FIXED is the right tool, and tell you when it is not.

How to get a better answer
  • Name your columns by letter and by header: "column F (Net Value)" beats "the amount column".
  • State every condition, including the negatives — "not cancelled" changes the formula's shape.
  • Say where the data starts if it is not row 1, and whether it will grow.
  • Check the settings above match your spreadsheet: the wrong argument separator is a syntax error on your machine.

Arguments

How FIXED reads its arguments
numberrequireddecimalsoptionalno_commasoptionalFIXED →
ArgumentRequiredDescription
numberRequiredRequired. A numeric value or a reference to a cell containing a number; non-numeric text triggers #VALUE!.
decimalsOptionalOptional. The number of digits to display to the right of the decimal point; if omitted Excel defaults to 2, and values outside 0-30 produce #NUM!.
no_commasOptionalOptional. TRUE suppresses thousands separators, FALSE (default) includes them; any non-boolean is coerced to FALSE.

Returns

It returns a text string representing the formatted number.

Availability

Excel: All · Google Sheets: Supported

Worked examples

1. Show revenue for a single order with default commas

Order IDRegionRepUnitsUnit PriceOrder Date
1001NorthAlice519.992023-01-15
=FIXED(D2*E2,2,FALSE)

Result: 99.95

Units (5) multiplied by Unit Price (19.99) equals 99.95. The FIXED function rounds to two decimals (the default) and keeps the thousands separator flag FALSE, which has no visual effect because the result is under 1,000.

2. Round a unit price to the nearest whole dollar without commas

Order IDRegionRepUnitsUnit PriceOrder Date
1003EastCarol109.752023-03-05
=FIXED(E4,0,TRUE)

Result: 10

The Unit Price of 9.75 is rounded to zero decimal places, producing 10. With the third argument TRUE, any thousands separator would be omitted, but the number is small enough that the flag does not change the appearance.

3. Display large revenue without thousands separators

Order IDRegionRepUnitsUnit PriceOrder Date
1004WestDave1234123.452023-04-12
=FIXED(D5*E5,2,TRUE)

Result: 152337.30

Multiplying 1,234 units by $123.45 yields 152,337.30. The FIXED call requests two decimal places and sets no_commas to TRUE, so the result is returned as the plain text string "152337.30" without the usual comma after the hundred-thousands digit.

Common errors

Which FIXED error are you seeing?
FIXED returned an error#VALUE!
Reference a cell containing a numeric value or wrap the text in VALUE() to convert it.
#REF!
Correct the cell address so it refers to an existing cell within the sheet.
#NUM!
Reduce the decimals argument to a value between 0 and 30 inclusive.
ErrorWhy it happensHow to fix it
#VALUE!The first argument is a text string that cannot be coerced to a number, e.g., =FIXED("ABC",2).Reference a cell containing a numeric value or wrap the text in VALUE() to convert it.
#REF!The formula points to a cell outside the worksheet, such as =FIXED(Z999,2).Correct the cell address so it refers to an existing cell within the sheet.
#NUM!The decimals argument exceeds Excel's allowed range (0-30), for example =FIXED(123.45,31).Reduce the decimals argument to a value between 0 and 30 inclusive.

Tips and when to use something else

  • Use FIXED when you need a number displayed as text with exact decimal formatting for reporting or export.
  • If you need currency symbols, conditional coloring, or locale-specific formatting, consider the TEXT function instead.
  • Remember that FIXED always returns text; wrap the result in VALUE() if you need to perform further arithmetic.
  • Combine FIXED with CONCAT or TEXTJOIN to build custom invoice lines that require aligned monetary columns.

Related functions

TEXTTEXT converts a numeric, date, or time value into a formatted text string based on a custom format pattern you supply.VALUEVALUE converts a text string that looks like a number, currency, or date into the underlying numeric value Excel or Sheets can use in calculations.CONCATCONCAT joins two or more text strings into one continuous string, automatically coercing numbers and dates to text without a delimiter.VLOOKUPVLOOKUP searches the first column of a table and returns a value from a specified column in the same row, optionally using exact or approximate matching.

Frequently asked questions

Why does FIXED sometimes add a leading space to the result?
When the no_commas argument is FALSE, Excel pads the left side of the string with a space to preserve alignment for negative numbers. This is intentional formatting behavior; you can trim the space with TRIM() if needed.
Can FIXED be used to format dates?
No. FIXED works only on numeric values. Dates are stored as serial numbers, so while you could force a date's underlying number into text, you would lose the recognizable date format. Use the TEXT function with a date format code instead.
How does FIXED differ from ROUND?
ROUND returns a numeric value, whereas FIXED returns a text string that includes optional thousands separators. Use ROUND when the result will be used in further calculations, and FIXED when you need a printable representation.
Is the thousands-separator option available in Google Sheets?
Yes. Google Sheets implements the same three-argument signature, and setting the third argument to TRUE suppresses commas in the output, matching Excel's behavior.

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