XL2000: Currency in Cell Formatted Differently Than Expected

If you type a number in a cell and press ALT+0128 to generate the euro symbol, the number loses the euro symbol and acquires a dollar sign when you press ENTER.

This behavior occurs if the cell is already formatted with the Currency format. You can apply a number format, such as Currency, to a cell automatically by typing the dollar sign and the number, or manually by formatting the cell via the Format Cells dialog box.

In Microsoft Excel, when you replace the contents of a cell or press DELETE or BACKSPACE to remove the contents of a cell, the cell retains its formatting and any comments. Therefore, if you try to type a number using a different number format than is in the cell already, the number retains the original format.

To work around this behavior, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Format the Cell

To manually format the cell, follow these steps :

1. On the Format menu, click Cells.
2. Click the Number tab.
3. In the Category box, click Currency.
4. In the Symbol list, click the Euro format (or any other format) you want to use and then click OK.

Method 2: Clear the Cell Formatting

If you haven't typed the number yet, you can use method 1, or you can delete the formula and formatting from the cell before typing the new data. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell.
2. On the Edit menu, point to Clear, and then click All.

When you type a formula such as the following the number will be formatted automatically.

For more information about clearing formats from cells, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type Clear contents from cells in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.