We all have found ourselves in a situation where we need to add foreign or local currency into an Excel or Google Sheets document. Unfortunately, this often leads to significant time being spent on figuring out the way to add these currency symbols. In this article, we will share multiple ways you can easily use to add currency in Google Sheets or Excel.
Table of Contents
1. Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the easiest ways to add currency in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets is by using keyboard shortcuts. This method can be useful if you’re dealing with only a limited number of currencies, as remembering the keyboard shortcuts can be a somewhat hefty task.
Here’s a list of the most popular currencies, along with their corresponding keyboard shortcuts:
| Currency Symbol | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| $ (Dollar) | Alt + 0036 | Shift + 4 |
| € (Euro) | Alt + 0128 | Option + Shift + 2 |
| ¥ (Yen/Yuan) | Alt + 0165 | Option + Y |
| £ (British Pound) | Alt + 0163 | Option + 3 |
For other currencies, you may need to adjust your computer’s language settings to that country in order to use the keyboard shortcuts.
If you don’t want to go through such a hassle, you can check the below methods.
2. Home Tab (Excel)
If you’re using Microsoft Excel on your device, it’s quite easy to insert any currency in your Excel sheet. Here’s a quick guide on it:
1. Open the Excel file and select the cell where you want to add a currency.
2. Next, navigate to the Home tab and click the dropdown menu next to the $ Sign (Dollar). From there, you can choose the desired currency from the available options.
3. If you don’t find the currency you’re looking for, click on the More Accounting Formats option. This will open a new window
4. Now select the Accounting category and click on the drop-down menu next to Symbol to choose the Currency.
5. Once done, hit the OK button and the currency will be added to the cell.
Tip: Learn how to password-protect your Excel file.
3. Format Tab (Google Sheets)
Adding a currency in Google Sheets is also as easy as compared to Excel. You just have to select the cell and navigate to Format > Number > Custom Currency.
A new window will appear, displaying a list of all available currencies. You can either scroll through the list or use the Search Bar to find your desired currency. Once you’ve found it, select the currency and then click the Apply button.
That’s it.
Pro Tip: Your top 3 most used currencies will be visible in the sub-menu of the Number option. This can make the process slightly faster.
4. Insert Tab (Excel)
One more way to add currency to your Excel File is via Symbols. Let me show you how:
1. All you need to do is switch to the Insert tab and click on the Symbols button located on the right side of the Ribbon.
2. After that, select the Symbol option and it will open the Symbol dialog box, which contains a list of symbols and special characters that you can insert.
3. Now, ensure you’re on the Symbols tab and choose the Currency Symbols option by clicking the dropdown menu next to Subset.
4. From there choose the currency and hit Insert.
Note: You can only add one currency symbol at a time, in contrast to the previous methods that allow you to add currency symbols to multiple cells simultaneously.
Tip: Learn how to convert a picture to an Excel table.
5. Character Viewer
If you’re a Mac user, you also have the option of using the Character Viewer to add currency symbols to your Google Sheets or Excel file. All you need to do is press Cmd + Ctrl + Space to open Character Viewer and move to the Currency Symbols tab. From there, you can select any currency you want to add to the Spreadsheet.
6. Windows Emojis Panel
If you’re using a Windows device, you can use the Emojis panel to insert a currency into your Excel or Google Sheets file. Here’s how:
1. Open the Excel or Google Sheets file on your device and select the cell where you want to add currency.
2. Now press Windows Key + . (Period) key and it will open an Emojis panel.
3. From there, navigate to the Symbols icon and switch to the Currency Symbols tab.
4. Now to add the currency to your spreadsheet, simply click on the currency. That’s it.
How to Set Default Currency on Excel
If there is any currency that you use on a regular basis, it’s better to set it as the default currency on your Excel. Here’s a simple step-by-step process:
1. Open the Run dialog box (Windows Key + R) on your Windows PC and enter “control international” and then hit OK.
2. After that, select the currency of your preferred country by clicking on the drop-down menu located beneath the Format option.
3. Once done, hit the OK button.
As you can see by clicking on the dollar symbol, it adds the Indian Rupee symbol.
Note: Excel relies on your system language settings to determine the default functionality of the currency button. This way you can even change the default currency on Mac too.
How to Set Default Currency on Google Sheets
Setting up the default currency on Google Sheets is a piece of cake and it hardly requires more than a few simple clicks. All you need to do is click on the File tab and choose the Settings option.
Now under the Locale section, click on the drop-down menu and select your preferred country. Once done, hit the Save and reload button.
As you can see, it has changed from US dollars to British Pounds.
Tip: Learn how to import tables from the website to Google Sheets.
Add Currency Like a Pro in Excel and Google Sheets
Adding currency to a spreadsheet can be challenging, especially for those who are less familiar with the technology. That’s why in this article, we tried to cover as many methods as possible so that you can select the one that aligns with your comfort level.
Before you leave, we also recommend you check out 3 ways to export your Android contacts to MS Excel.
