The Excel ROUND function rounds a number to a set number of digits using standard “round half away from zero” rules — changing the stored value, not just how it looks.
Syntax
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
number | Required | The number you want to round. |
num_digits | Required | How many digits to round to. Positive = decimal places, 0 = nearest whole number, negative = left of the decimal (tens, hundreds, ...). |
How to use it
The num_digits argument controls where the rounding happens:
Excel rounds half away from zero: 2.5 becomes 3 and -2.5 becomes -3. (Excel does not use banker's rounding.)
Rounding ≠ formatting. Setting a cell to show 2 decimals only changes the display — the underlying value still carries every digit. ROUND actually changes the number, so totals built on ROUND'd values stay consistent with what people see.
Need a one-directional rule instead? Use ROUNDUP (always away from zero), ROUNDDOWN (always toward zero), or MROUND (to the nearest multiple).
Try it: interactive demo
Change the number and the digit count to see ROUND in action.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How is ROUND different from formatting a cell to 2 decimals?
What does a negative num_digits do?
=ROUND(1234, -2) rounds to the nearest hundred = 1200; -3 rounds to the nearest thousand.Does ROUND round 0.5 up or down?
ROUND vs ROUNDUP vs ROUNDDOWN?
(number, num_digits) syntax.Master functions like this in one day
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