You can use the Format Cells feature in Excel with custom formulas to display negative numbers in parentheses.
Here are a few common custom formulas you can use to display negative numbers in specific formats:
Formula 1: Display Negative Numbers in Parentheses
#,##0.00;(#,##0.00)
Formula 2: Display Negative Numbers in Red Font
#,##0.00;[Red]#,##0.00
Formula 3: Display Negative Numbers in Red Font and in Parentheses
#,##0.00;[Red](#,##0.00)
The following examples show how to use each formula in practice with the following column of values in Excel:
Example 1: Display Negative Numbers in Parentheses
To display the negative numbers in parentheses, highlight the cell range A2:A11, then type Ctrl + 1 to bring up the Format Cells box.
Then click Custom in the Category box and then type in the following formula into the Type box:
#,##0.00;(#,##0.00)
Once you click OK, each of the negative values in column A will be shown in parentheses:
Example 2: Display Negative Numbers in Red Font
To display the negative numbers in red font, highlight the cell range A2:A11, then type Ctrl + 1 to bring up the Format Cells box.
Then click Custom in the Category box and then type in the following formula into the Type box:
#,##0.00;[Red]#,##0.00
Once you click OK, each of the negative values in column A will be shown in red font:
Note: If you’d like to use a different color font, simply replace Red in the formula with the name of a different color.
Example 3: Display Negative Numbers in Red Font and in Parentheses
To display the negative numbers in red font and in parentheses, highlight the cell range A2:A11, then type Ctrl + 1 to bring up the Format Cells box.
Then click Custom in the Category box and then type in the following formula into the Type box:
#,##0.00;[Red](#,##0.00)
Once you click OK, each of the negative values in column A will be shown in red font and in parentheses:
Additional Resource
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common operations in Excel:
Excel: How to Find First Negative Value in Range
Excel: How to Use IF Function with Negative Numbers
Excel: How to Find First 3 Positive Numbers in Column
