The Excel FIXED function rounds a number to a set count of decimal places and returns it as text, with thousands separators included by default. It dates from Excel’s earliest days, and its three arguments map exactly onto what the more flexible TEXT function does with format codes — but FIXED is shorter for the common “commas + N decimals” case. The crucial fact to internalize: the result is text, so SUM and AVERAGE will ignore it.
1,234.6. Need it to stay a number? Use ROUND plus a number format instead — see the pitfalls below.
Syntax
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
number | Required | The number to round and convert. |
decimals | Optional | Decimal places to keep; default 2. Negative values round left of the decimal point: -2 rounds to the nearest hundred. |
no_commas | Optional | FALSE (default) includes thousands separators; TRUE omits them. |
Available in: every version of Excel, Excel for the web, and Google Sheets. FIXED, DOLLAR, and TEXT form a family: all three format numbers as text. DOLLAR adds a currency sign; TEXT accepts any format code.
Worked examples
The three arguments in action on the same input:
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Formula | Result (text) |
| 2 | =FIXED(1234.567) | 1,234.57 |
| 3 | =FIXED(1234.567, 1) | 1,234.6 |
| 4 | =FIXED(1234.567, -2) | 1,200 |
| 5 | =FIXED(1234.567, 2, TRUE) | 1234.57 ← no commas |
The negative-decimals trick in row 4 is FIXED’s most distinctive feature — instant rounding to tens, hundreds, or thousands for report labels:
And the everyday use — clean numbers inside concatenated sentences:
Try it: interactive FIXED demo
Adjust the number, decimals (negatives allowed!), and the no_commas switch.
Errors & common pitfalls
The big one: FIXED returns text, and text breaks math. A column of FIXED results looks perfectly numeric — until SUM returns 0 and the chart goes blank. If the value needs further arithmetic, use =ROUND(A2, 1) to round as a number and a cell format like #,##0.0 for the commas. Reserve FIXED (and DOLLAR, and TEXT) for labels, sentences, and exports.
Pitfall: left-aligned and quietly ignored. The tell-tale signs that a “number” is FIXED output: it hugs the left edge of the cell, and arithmetic on the whole range skips it. Convert back with VALUE if needed — but better to keep the real number in the first place.
#VALUE! — non-numeric input. =FIXED("abc") fails, as does a text-stored value that Excel can’t read as a number. Clean the input or wrap it in VALUE first.
Pitfall: separators follow your locale. On a European system the same formula produces 1.234,6. Fine on screen — surprising when the text lands in a CSV consumed by a US system. For locale-pinned output, build the string with TEXT and explicit codes.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
Why won't SUM add my FIXED results?
What's the difference between FIXED and ROUND?
ROUND returns a number you can keep calculating with; FIXED returns rounded text with optional commas. Same rounding rules — different output type. When in doubt, ROUND.What's the difference between FIXED, DOLLAR, and TEXT?
What do negative decimals do in FIXED?
How do I convert FIXED output back to a number?
=VALUE(FIXED(A2,1)) — though if you find yourself doing that, skip FIXED and use =ROUND(A2,1) directly.Master functions like this in one day
This page covers one function. Our Excel Formulas and Functions class covers the 30 that matter most — live, hands-on, taught by professionals in Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, Oklahoma City, Denver, or online.
See the Formulas & Functions Class