How to Turn Off Scientific Notation in Google Sheets

Scientific notation is a great help when you’re dealing with numbers that are either too large or too small. While chemists or engineers use scientific notation all the time, most of us don’t. What’s more, it can become somewhat irritating, as it shows information that’s irrelevant to you.

Don’t worry. You can turn it off faster than you may think. In this article, we’ll show you how to do so in Google Sheets.

Turn Off Scientific Notation on Desktop

If you ever had to deal with scientific notation in Excel, you’ll recognize some of the steps featured below. The process is quick and straightforward. However, instead of simply turning off this option, you’re going to switch to another option. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Open your spreadsheet.
   
2. Select the range of cells.
   
3. Click on Format.
   
4. Click on Number (or the “123” sign).
   
5. You’ll see that the “Scientific” option was selected.
   
6. Unselect it and select any other option.
   

There you have it! Turning off scientific notation has never been easier. Once when you turn it off, it should stay off. However, if it turns back on, you now know how to handle it.

Tip: Most people select the “Number” option as it’s pretty universal. Unless you’re writing a financial report or want to format the date, this option should do the work for you.

Turn Off Scientific Notation on Phone

You can do this on your phone as well. However, you may need to download the Google Sheets app first, if you don’t have it. If you have an iPhone, you can download it here. If you use an Android device, you can find it here. Next, follow these steps:

1. Open your spreadsheet.
   
2. Select the range of cells.
   
3. Tap on Format (or the “A” with horizontal bars on the upper part of the screen).
   
4. Tap on Cell.
   
5. Tap on Number format.
   
6. You’ll see that the “Scientific” option was selected.
   
7. Unselect it and select any other option from the list.
   

If you’re not sure what to select, you can select just “Number”, as this is the option most of us are used to.

Can I Turn Scientific Notation on Again?

Of course! You can do it any time you want. However, bear in mind that it may not automatically apply to all cells. If you’ve already filled some cells with data while this option was off, you may need to select those cells and then turn it on. Here’s how:

1. Click on Format.
2. Click on Number.
3. Select the “Scientific” option.

There’s no limit to how many times you can change the format, which is fantastic.

Formatting Numbers

If you followed our guide, you’ve probably seen several options under the Number sign. We’ll explain some of the most important:

1. Formatting Date – You can choose the date format you’re used to or the international date format (year first). If you wish Google Sheet to write the name of the month instead of its number, click on More Formats and select this option.
2. Formatting Time – There are various options for time, as well. Most of them include hour and minute, but if you want to add a more specific time, you can find this option under More Formats.
3. Currency – To change currency, click on More Formats, and then on More Currencies. You should be able to find all world currencies there. You can also customize how many decimal places you would like to be shown.

Finally, if none of these was helpful, you can always add your custom formatting:

1. Click on Number.
2. Click on More Formats
3. Click on Custom Number Format.

You can set any format you like. If you want to make a difference between two groups of numbers, maybe even and odd numbers, you can set a color for each of them. To do so, you have to write the color you want in brackets – for example, (Red).

Useful but Not Always

We hope that you now have a better understanding of how to format number functions in Google Sheets. As you could see, Scientific Notation is a pretty cool feature, but not for everyone. You now know how to turn it off if it irritates you. Moreover, you can customize the way numbers look.

Do you know any other tips or tricks when it comes to numbers in Google Sheets? Let us know in the comments section below.