XL: International/Regional Settings Affect Number Formats

 Last reviewed: June 3, 1997
Article ID: Q141565
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0, 5.0c
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

When you use the number formats listed in the Format-Cells dialog box, you may notice the following: 

   - The formats are not English Standard settings.

     -or-

   - The formats may appear to be corrupted, incomplete or missing.
For example, When you select the Currency category you may see the British pound symbol or the Japanese yen symbol instead of the U.S. dollar sign.

CAUSE

You will experience this behavior if the Country or Language setting in the International Control Panel (Windows for Workgroups, Windows 3.1 and 3.11, and Windows NT 3.51) or the Regional Control Panel(Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0) is set incorrectly.

You may also experience this behavior if the Settings in the International or Regional Control Panel are corrupted.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Excel uses the International or Regional Control Panel Settings to determine what number formats to use. These settings affect the way Microsoft Excel displays and uses dates, times, currencies, and numbers.

To correct the International or Regional Settings, use the appropriate procedure for your version of Microsoft Windows.

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0

  1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and double-click Regional Settings.

  2. Click the Regional Settings tab.

  3. Select English (United States) from the list and click OK .

Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, and Windows NT 3.51

  1. From Program Manager, double-click the Main group.

  2. Double-click the Control Panel icon.

  3. Double-click the International icon.

  4. Under Country, select United States.

  5. Under Language, select English (United States).

  6. Click OK.

If you continue to have problems and the International or Regional Settings are correct, use the appropriate procedure for your version of Windows:

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0

  1. click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and double-click Regional Settings.

  2. Click the Regional Settings tab.

  3. Re-Select English (United States) from the list.

  4. Continue selecting each tab in the Regional Settings dialog box. On each tab re-select each item from the dropdown boxes.

  5. Click OK.

  6. Close any open programs.

  7. Click the Start button, and click Shut Down. click "Restart the Computer" and then click OK.

Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, and Windows NT 3.51

  1. From Program Manager, double-click the Main group.

  2. Double-click the Control Panel icon.

  3. Double-click the International icon.

  4. Re-select or re-type each setting in the International dialog box.

  5. Click Change for Date Format, Time Format, Currency Format, and Number Format. In each dialog, re-select or re-type each setting. Click OK.

  6. Click OK.

  7. On the File menu (in Program Manager), click Exit Windows.

  8. Restart Windows.

REFERENCES

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0

For more information about international settings, click the Index tab in Windows 95 Help, type the following text 

   international settings, changing
and then double-click the selected text to go to the "To change number, currency, time, and date settings" topic.

Other versions of Windows

For more information about customizing Windows for international use, click the Search button in Control Panel Help, and type: 

   International Options

Additional query words: 5.00 7.00 8.00 97 Format International Settings
Keywords : kbhowto kbualink97 kbusage xlwin
Version : 5.0 5.0c 7.0 97
Platform : WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: June 3, 1997
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