NUMBERVALUE
Converts text to a number, handling different decimal and group separators.
NUMBERVALUE(text, [decimal_separator], [group_separator])Arguments
textText to convertdecimal_separatorCharacter used as decimal (default ".")(optional)group_separatorCharacter used as thousands separator(optional)
=NUMBERVALUE("1.234,56",",",".")European format to number
=NUMBERVALUE("25%")Percentage text to decimal
=NUMBERVALUE(A1)Simple text to number
- •Handles regional number formats
- •Better than VALUE for international data
- •Handles percentage signs automatically
- •Not specifying the decimal_separator and group_separator arguments when the text uses a format different from the system's regional settings, causing NUMBERVALUE to misinterpret which character separates decimals versus thousands
- •Confusing NUMBERVALUE with VALUE - VALUE relies entirely on the system's regional settings, while NUMBERVALUE lets you explicitly override them, which matters when processing text formatted for a different locale
- •Passing text with extra characters NUMBERVALUE doesn't expect (like a trailing letter or unusual currency symbol), which raises a #VALUE! error
VALUEPerforms a similar text-to-number conversion but relies entirely on the system's regional settings instead of explicit separator arguments.TEXTDoes the reverse - formats a number into text using a specified format, rather than parsing text into a number.SUBSTITUTECan pre-process text to fix separator characters manually, an alternative approach when NUMBERVALUE's arguments aren't flexible enough.What's the difference between NUMBERVALUE and VALUE?
VALUE relies entirely on your system's regional settings to know which character represents a decimal point. NUMBERVALUE lets you explicitly specify decimal_separator and group_separator, which is essential when converting text formatted for a different locale than your own.
Why does NUMBERVALUE return #VALUE!?
The text likely contains a character NUMBERVALUE doesn't expect given the separators you specified - double-check the actual text for stray symbols or an unexpected format.
Do I always need to specify the separator arguments?
No, they're optional - if omitted, NUMBERVALUE falls back to your system's regional settings, behaving similarly to VALUE in that case.
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