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Excel guide · 3 min read

How to calculate percentage in Excel

Quick answerDivide the part by the whole, for example =B2/C2, then format the cell as a percentage with Home > Number > Percent Style (Ctrl+Shift+%). Excel stores 0.85 and shows it as 85%, so never multiply by 100 as well.

Sample data

Every result on this page was calculated from this sheet by the same spreadsheet engine the Cellwise app uses.

ABCD
1RepSoldTargetCommission rate
2Ava34400.05
3Ben52480.05
4Cara27450.04
5Dev45500.06

Percent of a total: part divided by whole

Most percentage questions are "what share is this of that?" In Excel that is just a division. Ava sold 34 units against a target of 40, so her percentage of target is 34 divided by 40.

Type the formula in an empty column (say E2), press Enter, then double-click the fill handle to copy it down. Each rep gets their own share of target.

=B2/C2

Result: 0.85 shows as 85% with Percent format

Returns 0.85. Format the cell as Percent and it shows 85%.

Show the result as a percentage

Excel keeps percentages as decimals: 85% is really 0.85. Formatting only changes how it looks. That is why a percent cell can feed straight into other formulas without dividing by 100.

  1. Select the cells with your results.
  2. Go to Home > Number and click the % button (Percent Style), or press Ctrl+Shift+%.
  3. Use Increase Decimal next to it if you want 85.0% or 108.33% instead of rounded whole percents.

Find X% of a number

To get a percentage of an amount, multiply. The commission rate in column D is already stored as a percent (5% = 0.05), so you multiply sales by it directly.

You can also type the percent into the formula, like =B2*5%. Excel reads 5% as 0.05.

=B3*D3

Result: 2.6

Ben sold 52 at a 5% rate, so this returns 2.6.

Increase or decrease a number by a percent

To raise a value by a percent, multiply by 1 plus the percent. To cut it, multiply by 1 minus the percent. This is the reliable way to add tax, apply a discount, or set next year's target.

Here Dev's target of 50 goes up by 10%.

=C5*(1+10%)

Result: 55

Returns 55, the target raised by 10%.

Put a percentage inside a sentence

If you need the percent inside text, such as a label on a dashboard, wrap the result in TEXT with a percent format code. Without TEXT, joining a number to text shows the raw decimal, like 0.6.

=A4&" hit "&TEXT(B4/C4,"0%")&" of target"

Result: Cara hit 60% of target

Shows "Cara hit 60% of target".

Common mistakes

Multiplying by 100 and then formatting as Percent

You get 8500% because Percent format already multiplies by 100 for display. Use =B2/C2 on its own and let the format do the work.

Typing 5 when you mean 5%

A rate cell holding 5 means 500%. Type 5% (Excel stores 0.05) or format the column as Percent before you type.

The whole cell is empty or zero

Dividing by an empty or zero target gives #DIV/0!. Wrap it like =IFERROR(B2/C2,"") or fill in the missing target.

FAQ

What is the formula for percentage in Excel?

There is no PERCENT function. Use =part/whole, such as =B2/C2, and format the cell as Percent. For X% of a number use =number*X%.

How do I calculate a percentage of a total column?

Divide each value by the column total and lock the total with dollar signs, like =B2/SUM($B$2:$B$7). Then fill down. See the percentage of total guide for the full walkthrough.

Why does my percentage show as 0%?

The value is probably below 0.5% and the format has no decimals, so it rounds to 0%. Click Increase Decimal to see it. Also check that you divided the part by the whole, not the other way round.

How do I subtract a percentage from a number?

Multiply by 1 minus the percent. =A2*(1-20%) takes 20% off the value in A2. Writing =A2-20% would only subtract 0.2.

Functions used

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