Before creating or editing a spreadsheet in Google Sheets, itās good to make sure that the default currency for the document matches your expectations. Hereās how to change the default currency and how to check it in existing spreadsheets.
Table of Contents:
- How to Set the Default Currency for All Sheets
- How to Set the Default Currency for the Current Sheet
- How to Check Whether the Correct Currency Is Set as the Default
- How to Set Cells as āCurrencyā Format in Google Sheets
How to Set the Default Currency for All Sheets
To set the default currency for all new Google Sheets, visit your profile language settings at https://myaccount.google.com/language. Once youāve selected your language in the āPreferred Languageā section, Sheets will assume that you want to use the currency of your language region as the default in all the new Sheets that youāll create going forward.
For existing sheets, youāll need to change the currency manually for each sheet using the method described below.
How to Set the Default Currency for the Current Sheet
Google Sheets remembers the currency setting for each sheet individually. You can change it by setting your current locale. To do so, open your favorite web browser and visit Google Sheets. Then, load the spreadsheet that youād like to change the currency for.
Once itās loaded, click File> Spreadsheet Settings in the menu at the top of the page.
In the āSettings for this spreadsheetā window that pops up, click the āGeneralā tab.
Under āLocale,ā youāll see a drop-down menu showing the names of various countries. Pick the country whose currency you want to use. For example, if you want U.S. dollars to be the default currency, select āUnited States.ā
Click āSave Settingsā when youāre done.
After you change your locale, any money amounts already entered into the sheet will be automatically translated to the currency format of the locale that you selected, and any currency values that you insert after this point will match the locale. This change only applies to this one spreadsheet.
How to Check Whether the Correct Currency Is Set as the Default
If youād like to verify that the correct currency is set as the default, click the āFormatā menu and select āNumber.ā
Locate āCurrencyā in the list, and make sure that it shows the correct symbol for the currency that you selected (the dollar symbol (ā$ā) in the U.S., for example).
If itās correct, then youāre good to go. If not, revisit the section above to change your locale.
How to Set Cells as āCurrencyā Format in Google Sheets
In Google Sheets, you need to set cells as ācurrencyā to see the currency symbol properly. Once itās set, you can type any number, and Google Sheets will automatically add the currency symbol to those cells. Hereās how to do it.
First, start by selecting the cells where you need to show currency symbols.
Once youāre done selecting, click Format> Number in the menu.
In the list that appears, select āCurrency.ā
This will convert all the cells that you selected to āCurrencyā format. Type any number in those cells, and Sheets will add the currency symbol for your locale automatically.
Now that youāve learned the basics, you might also enjoy learning how to convert currency in Google Sheets. Good luck!