Format dates, currency, and more in Pages on Mac
You can format table cells to display text, numbers, currency, percentages, date and time, and durations denoting a span of time (for example, “3 weeks 4 days 2 hours”). The cell format determines how data in the cell appears and how cell data is recognized by formulas that refer to that cell.
You can also choose how many decimal places appear in cells that contain numbers, currency units, or percentage values, even if the exact value entered in the cell is more precise than what you want to show. The actual value entered is always used in calculations, regardless of how many decimal places appear in the cell. When a formula refers to text in a cell, the displayed value is used in the calculation.
You can change a cell’s format even if you already typed content in the cell. For example, if you have a table of prices, you can add a currency symbol (for example, a dollar sign $) to cells by formatting them as currency, then selecting the symbol you want.
Format cells automatically
By default, Pages formats table cells automatically, so letter and numbers appear the way you type them. If you change the data format for a cell, you can always revert back to the automatic format.
Select the cells or table you want to format.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Cell tab.Click the Data Format pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose Automatic.
Numbers
By default, cells formatted as numbers display as many decimal places as you type in them. You can change this setting so that all cells formatted as numbers display the same number of decimal places.
Changes to decimal settings apply to both numbers and percentages. For example, if you change a number in a cell to a percentage, the number of decimal places displayed doesn’t change.
Select the cells or table you want to format.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Cell tab.Click the Data Format pop-up menu and choose an option:
Number: Displays standard number formatting.
Set the number of decimal places: In the Decimals field, type the number of decimal places you want to display. Pages rounds the display value instead of truncating the display value. For example, if the value in the cell is “5.75” and you set the number of decimal places for the cell to 0 (zero), Pages displays “6.”
Display as many decimal places as you type in each cell: Delete the number in the Decimals field, or click the Decimals down arrow until you reach the Auto setting.
Specify how negative values appear: Click the pop-up menu to the right of the Decimals field and choose an option.
Show the thousands separator: Select the Thousands Separator checkbox.
Fraction: Displays numbers with a numerator and a denominator. Choose an option from the Accuracy pop-up menu to specify the maximum number of digits you want displayed, or to round the value to the nearest half, quarter, and so on.
Scientific: Displays numbers in scientific notation. In the Decimals field, type the number of decimal places you want displayed, or choose Auto to display as many decimal places as you type.
Currency (units of monetary value)
By default, cells formatted as currency display two decimal places. You can change this setting so that cells display as many decimal places as you type in them, or so that all cells display the same number of decimal places.
Select the cells or table you want to format.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Cell tab.Click the Data Format pop-up menu, then choose Currency.
Do any of the following:
Set the number of decimal places: In the Decimals field, type the number of decimal places you want to display. Pages rounds the display value instead of truncating the display value. For example, if the value in the cell is “5.75” and you set the number of decimal places for the cell to 0 (zero), Pages displays “6.”
Display as many decimal places as you type in each cell: Delete the number in the Decimals field, or click the Decimals down arrow until you reach the Auto setting.
Specify how negative values appear: Click the pop-up menu to the right of the Decimals field and choose an option.
Show the thousands separator: Select the Thousands Separator checkbox.
Use accounting-style negative numbers: Select the Accounting Style checkbox to display negative values within parentheses.
Click the Currency pop-up menu, then choose a currency symbol, such as US Dollar ($).
Percentages
By default, cells formatted as percentages display as many decimal places as you type in them. You can change this setting so that all cells display the same number of decimal places.
Changes to decimal settings apply to both percentages and numbers in a selected range of cells. For example, if you change the format of a cell from a percentage to a decimal, the number of decimal places displayed doesn’t change.
Select the cells or table you want to format.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Cell tab.Click the Data Format pop-up menu, then choose Percentage.
Do any of the following:
Set the number of decimal places: In the Decimals field, type the number of decimal places you want to display. Pages rounds the display value instead of truncating the display value. For example, if the value in the cell is “5.75” and you set the number of decimal places for the cell to 0 (zero), Pages displays “6.”
Display as many decimal places as you type in each cell: Delete the number in the Decimals field, or click the Decimals down arrow until you reach the Auto setting.
Specify how negative values appear: Click the pop-up menu to the right of the Decimals field and choose an option.
Show the thousands separator: Select the Thousands Separator checkbox.
If you format a cell that already contains a value, the value is assumed to be a decimal and is converted to a percentage. For example, 3 becomes 300%.
If a percentage value is used in a formula, its decimal number version is used. For example, a value that appears as 3% is used as 0.03 in a formula.
Date and time
Select the cells or table you want to format.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Cell tab.Click the Data Format pop-up menu, then choose Date & Time.
Click the Date pop-up menu, then choose a format.
If you choose None, no date is displayed in the cell, even if a date is entered and used in date and time calculations.
Click the Time pop-up menu, then choose a format.
If you choose None, no time is displayed in the cell, even if a time is entered and used in date and time calculations.
If you don’t enter both a date and a time, Pages adds a default value for you. For example, if you type “1:15 PM,” Pages adds today’s date by default.
Durations (units of time)
By default, cells containing duration data are automatically formatted to display all the time units you enter. You can change this setting so that duration cells display only certain units of time (for example, only hours, not minutes, seconds, or milliseconds), even though more precise duration values have been entered in the cell and are used in formulas that make calculations based on units of time.
Select the cells or table you want to format.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Cell tab.Click the Data Format pop-up menu, then choose Duration.
Do one of the following:
Show or hide time unit labels: Click Automatic Units, then click the Style pop-up menu and choose an option:
0: Hides all time unit labels.
0w: Displays time unit labels as abbreviations—for example, “m” for minutes.
0 weeks: Displays time unit labels fully spelled out.
Display the same units in all duration cells: Click Custom Units, then click units on the right or left end of the range selector to encompass the time duration you want to use, from weeks (wk) to milliseconds (ms).
If you change the duration format after you enter data in the cells, the data automatically adjusts to the new duration format you set.
You can also create custom cell formats to display other data, such as phone numbers. See Create a custom table cell format in Pages on Mac.