Excel ROUND function explained

Precision is essential when working with numbers in Excel. Whether you’re performing financial calculations, analyzing data, or formatting reports, rounding numbers correctly ensures both accuracy and consistency. The Excel ROUND function is a powerful tool that lets you adjust the number of decimal places in your values, making your spreadsheets clearer and easier to interpret. Read this article to learn the formula syntax, common use cases, and practical examples for effective work.

What is the ROUND function in Excel?

The Excel ROUND function allows you to round numbers to a specified number of decimal places, ensuring precision in calculations and data presentation. It is particularly useful for financial computations, statistical analysis, and structuring numerical data in a more readable format.

By using the ROUND formula in Excel, you can control how numbers are displayed by rounding them to a defined number of decimal places, preventing unnecessary complexity in your datasets.

Why use the ROUND function?

• Simplifies financial calculations and reports.
• Maintains numerical consistency across large datasets.
• Enhances the readability of numbers in presentations and reports.

How to use the ROUND function

Now, let’s explore how to use the ROUND function in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor to efficiently round numbers in your spreadsheets. This function follows the same syntax as in Excel: ROUND(number, num_digits) 

The ROUND function requires two arguments:

• number – The value you want to round.
• num_digits – The number of decimal places to round to.

If num_digits is:

• a positive value, the number is rounded to the specified decimal places.
• zero, the number is rounded to the nearest whole number.
• a negative value, the number is rounded to the left of the decimal point.

To round a number to a specific number of decimal places, start by opening ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor and entering the number in a cell. For example, type 12.5678 in A1. Next, select an empty cell where you want the rounded value to appear, such as B1. In this cell, enter the formula: =ROUND(A1, 2)

After pressing Enter, the result displayed in B1 will be 12.57, rounded to two decimal places.

How to round up

If you want to round numbers up, the ROUNDUP function ensures values always round away from zero.

To use this function, enter a number in a cell, such as 4.1234 in A1. Then, select an empty cell where the rounded value should appear and type:

=ROUNDUP(A1, 2)

Pressing Enter will round the number up to 4.13.

How to round down

To always round numbers down, use the ROUNDDOWN function, which rounds values toward zero.

Start by entering a number, such as 5.6789, in A1. Click on a different cell where you want the rounded result to appear and enter:

=ROUNDDOWN(A1, 2)

Once you press Enter, the number will be rounded down to 5.67.

How to round to the nearest whole number

To round a number to the nearest whole number, you can use the ROUND function with 0 as the second argument.

For example, if you enter 98.76 in cell A1, select another cell and type:

=ROUND(A1, 0)

After pressing Enter, the result will be 99. If you need to always round up or down, use ROUNDUP(A1,0) or ROUNDDOWN(A1,0), respectively.

Conclusion

Mastering the ROUND function and its variations like ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWN allows you to control numerical precision effectively. Whether you need to round numbers, round up, or round down, these functions ensure accuracy in your data, making financial reports, calculations, and presentations more precise.

Try ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor

The ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor supports all rounding functions, making data analysis simple and efficient.

To get started, you can create a free ONLYOFFICE DocSpace account and edit Excel files in your browser. Also, there is a free desktop app for Windows, Linux and macOS that you can download for your PC or laptop from the official website:

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