Vba excel функция формат

Преобразование чисел, дат и строк в настраиваемый текстовый формат из кода VBA Excel с помощью функции Format. Синтаксис, параметры, символы, примеры.

Format – это функция, которая преобразует число, дату или строку в текст, отформатированный в соответствии с именованным выражением формата или инструкциями, составленными из специальных символов.

Синтаксис и параметры

Format(Expression, [FormatExpression], [FirstDayOfWeek], [FirstWeekOfYear])

• Expression – любое допустимое выражение (переменная), возвращающее числовое значение или строку (обязательный параметр).
• FormatExpression – выражение формата, именованное или содержащее инструкции из специальных символов (необязательный параметр).
• FirstDayOfWeek – константа, задающая первый день недели (необязательный параметр).
• FirstWeekOfYear – константа, задающая первую неделю года (необязательный параметр).

Именованные выражения форматов

Именные форматы даты и времени

Имя формата	Описание
General Date	Стандартное отображение даты и времени в соответствии с параметрами системы.
Long Date	Длинный формат даты.
Medium Date	Средний формат даты.
Short Date	Краткий формат даты.
Long Time	Длинный формат времени.
Medium Time	Средний формат времени.
Short Time	Краткий формат времени.

Проверьте отображение даты и времени с использованием именованных форматов на вашем компьютере при помощи следующего кода VBA Excel:

Sub FormatDateTime() MsgBox «General Date:  « & Format(Now, «General Date») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Long Date:  « & Format(Now, «Long Date») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Medium Date:  « & Format(Now, «Medium Date») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Short Date:  « & Format(Now, «Short Date») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Long Time:  « & Format(Now, «Long Time») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Medium Time:  « & Format(Now, «Medium Time») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Short Time:  « & Format(Now, «Short Time») End Sub

Скорее всего, результат будет таким:

Именованные форматы чисел

Имя формата	Описание
General Number	Стандартное отображение числа без знака разделителя групп разрядов.
Currency	Денежный формат.
Fixed	Отображение числа без знака разделителя групп разрядов с двумя цифрами после разделителя целой и дробной части.
Standard	Отображение числа со знаком разделителя групп разрядов и с двумя цифрами после разделителя целой и дробной части.
Percent	Процентный формат: отображение числа, умноженного на 100, со знаком процента (%), добавленного справа.
Scientific	Отображение числа в экспоненциальном виде.
Yes/No	Возвращается «Нет», если число равно 0, иначе отображается «Да».
True/False	Возвращается «Ложь», если число равно 0, иначе отображается «Истина».
On/Off	Возвращается «Выкл», если число равно 0, иначе отображается «Вкл».

Проверяем работу именованных форматов на числах 2641387.7381962 и 0 с помощью кода VBA Excel:

Sub FormatNumber() Dim n As Double n = 2641387.7381962 ‘n = 0 MsgBox «Форматируемое число = « & n & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «General Number:  « & Format(n, «General Number») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Currency:  « & Format(n, «Currency») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Fixed:  « & Format(n, «Fixed») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Standard:  « & Format(n, «Standard») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Percent:  « & Format(n, «Percent») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Scientific:  « & Format(n, «Scientific») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Yes/No:  « & Format(n, «Yes/No») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «True/False:  « & Format(n, «True/False») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «On/Off:  « & Format(n, «On/Off») End Sub

Получаем следующий результат:

 

Вместо вопросительного знака в отображении числа в формате Currency, по идее, должен быть знак валюты (₽ или руб.).

Специальные символы для выражений форматов

Символы для форматов даты и времени

Символ	Описание
Точка (.)	Разделитель компонентов даты (день, месяц, год). Используется при отображении месяца в виде числа.
Пробел	Разделитель компонентов даты (день, месяц, год). Используется при отображении месяца прописью.
Двоеточие (:)	Разделитель компонентов времени (часы, минуты, секунды).
d	День в виде числа без нуля в начале (1–31).
dd	День в виде числа с нулем в начале (01–31).
m	Месяц в виде числа без нуля в начале (1–12). Если (m) следует после (h) или (hh), отображаются минуты (0–59).
mm	Месяц в виде числа с нулем в начале (01–12). Если (mm) следует после (h) или (hh), отображаются минуты (00–59).
mmm	Месяц прописью в сокращенном виде (янв–дек).
mmmm	Полное название месяца (январь–декабрь).
y	День года в виде числа (1–366).
yy	Год в виде 2-значного числа (00–99).
yyyy	Год в виде 4-значного числа (1900–9999).
h	Часы в виде числа без нуля в начале (0–23).
hh	Часы в виде числа с нулем в начале (00–23).
n (m)	Минуты в виде числа без нуля в начале (0–59).
nn (mm)	Минуты в виде числа с нулем в начале (00–59).
s	Секунды в виде числа без нуля в начале (0–59).
ss	Секунды в виде числа с нулем в начале (00–59).

В этой таблице перечислены далеко не все символы для выражений форматов даты и времени. Вы можете ознакомиться со всеми символами, в том числе и для форматирования чисел, на сайте разработчика.

Примеры отображения даты с помощью разных по количеству наборов символа d:

Sub DataIsD() MsgBox «d:  « & Format(Now, «d») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «dd:  « & Format(Now, «dd») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «ddd:  « & Format(Now, «ddd») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «dddd:  « & Format(Now, «dddd») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «ddddd:  « & Format(Now, «ddddd») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «dddddd:  « & Format(Now, «dddddd») End Sub

Символы для числовых форматов

Символ	Описание
Точка (.)	Десятичный разделитель.
Запятая (,)	Разделитель групп разрядов. В отображаемых числах заполняется пробелом.
(0)	Заполнитель, который отображает цифру или ноль. Используется, когда нужны ведущие нули или нули в конце числа.
(#)	Заполнитель, который отображает цифру или ничего не отображает. Используется, когда не нужны ведущие нули или нули в конце числа.
(%)	Заполнитель процента. Выражение умножается на 100, а знак процента (%) вставляется на той позиции, где он указан в строке формата.
(E- E+ e- e+)	Экспоненциальный формат.

Примеры использования символов в выражениях числовых форматов VBA Excel:

Sub FormatNumber2() Dim n As Double n = 2641387.7381962 ‘n = 0.2397842 MsgBox «Форматируемое число = « & n & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «0.##:  « & Format(n, «0.##») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «000.###:  « & Format(n, «000.###») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «#,###.###:  « & Format(n, «#,###.###») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «0 %:  « & Format(n, «0 %») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «0.### E-:  « & Format(n, «0.### E-«) & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «0.### E+:  « & Format(n, «0.### E+») End Sub

 

Символы для текстовых форматов

Символ	Описание
At-символ (@)	Заполнитель для символов, отображающий знак или пробел.
Амперсанд (&)	Заполнитель для символов, отображающий знак или ничего (пустая строка).
Меньше (<)	Принудительный перевод всех буквенных символов в нижний регистр.
Больше (>)	Принудительный перевод всех буквенных символов в верхний регистр.

Примеры использования символов в выражениях строковых форматов VBA Excel:

Sub FormatString() MsgBox «Номер телефона:  « & Format(«1234567890», «+7 (@@@) @@@-@@-@@») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Серия и номер паспорта:  « & Format(«1234567890», «&& && &&&&») & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Нижний регистр:  « & Format(«Нижний регистр», «<«) & vbNewLine _ & vbNewLine & «Верхний регистр: « & Format(«Верхний регистр», «>») End Sub

Форматы для различных значений одного выражения

Различные форматы для разных числовых значений

В выражении формата для чисел предусмотрено от одного до четырех разделов, отделяемых друг от друга точкой с запятой. Отображаемая строка зависит от значения, возвращенного параметром Expression функции Format.

Количество разделов	Результат форматирования
Один раздел	Выражение формата применяется ко всем значениям.
Два раздела	Первый раздел применяется к положительным значениям и нулям, второй – к отрицательным значениям.
Три раздела	Первый раздел применяется к положительным значениям, второй – к отрицательным значениям, третий – к нулям.
Четыре раздела	Первый раздел применяется к положительным значениям, второй – к отрицательным значениям, третий – к нулям, четвертый – к значениям Null.

Пример использования четырех разделов в выражении формата числовых значений:

Sub FormatDifferentValues() MsgBox «Число 1234,5678:  « & _ Format(1234.5678, «#,##0.00 руб.;Отрицательное число;Ноль рублей;Значение Null») _ & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & «Число -25:  « & _ Format(—25, «#,##0.00 руб.;Отрицательное число;Ноль рублей;Значение Null») _ & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & «Число 0:  « & _ Format(0, «#,##0.00 руб.;Отрицательное число;Ноль рублей;Значение Null») _ & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & «Null:  « & _ Format(Null, «#,##0.00 руб.;Отрицательное число;Ноль рублей;Значение Null») End Sub

Различные форматы для разных строковых значений

В выражении формата для строк предусмотрено до двух разделов, отделяемых друг от друга точкой с запятой. Отображаемая строка зависит от текста, возвращенного параметром Expression функции Format.

Количество разделов	Результат форматирования
Один раздел	Выражение формата применяется ко всем строковым данным.
Два раздела	Первый раздел применяется к строковым данным, второй – к значениям Null и пустым строкам («»).

Пример использования двух разделов в выражении формата строк:

Sub FormatString2() MsgBox «Строка «Белка»:  « & _ Format(«Белка», «@;Пустая строка или Null») _ & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & «Пустая строка:  « & _ Format(«», «@;Пустая строка или Null») _ & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & «Строка «Null»:  « & _ Format(«Null», «@;Пустая строка или Null») _ & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & «Значение Null:  « & _ Format(Null, «@;Пустая строка или Null») End Sub

VBA Format function in Excel is categorized as a Text/String function in VBA. It is a built-in function in MS Office Excel. VBA Format function returns a formatted string from a string expression. This function has one required parameter and three optional parameters. If Format argument is left blank, then the function behaves like the CSTR function.

This function use as a VBA function and can’t use as a Excel Worksheet function. The VBA Format function can be used in either procedure or function in a VBA editor window in Excel. We can use this VBA Format function any number of times in any number of procedures or functions. In the following section we learn what is the syntax and parameters of the Format function, where we can use this Format function and real-time examples in VBA.

Table of Contents:

• Overview
• Syntax of VBA Format Function
• Parameters or Arguments
• VBA Date Formats
• VBA Number Formats
• VBA Text Formats
• Enumeration values of the FirstDayOfWeek
• Enumeration values of the FirstWeekOfYear
• Where we can apply or use the VBA Format Function?
• Example 1: Format Date and Time
• Example 2: Format Numbers and currency
• Example 3: Format Text/String
• Example 4: User Defined Format
• Instructions to Run VBA Macro Code
• Other Useful Resources

The syntax of the VBA Format function is

Format(Expression, [Format], [FirstDayOfWeek],[FirstWeekOfYear])

Note: This Format function returns a string.

Parameters or Arguments

This function has one mandatory parameter and three optional parameters for the Format Function.
Where
Expression: The Expression is a mandatory argument. It represents an expression which you want to format.

Format: The Format is an optional argument. It represents the user defined or below specified built-in format. It is applied to an Expression.

VBA Date Formats: Here are the following list of built-in Date formats.

Format	Description
General Date	It displays date as defined in your system general Date settings. It displays short date and short time.
Long Date	It displays date as defined in your system Long Date settings
Medium Date	It displays date as defined in your system Medium Date settings
Short Date	It displays date as defined in your system Short Date settings
Long Time	It displays time as defined in your system Long time settings
Medium Time	It displays time as defined in your system Medium time settings
Short Time	It displays time as defined in your system Short time settings

VBA Number Formats: Here are the following list of built-in Number formats.

Format	Description
General Number	It displays a number without any thousand separators.
Currency	It displays a number with thousand separators and two decimal places.
Euro	It displays a number with the euro currency symbol.
Fixed	It displays at least one integer digit and two decimal places number.
Standard	It displays a number with thousand separators, at least one integer digit and two decimal places.
Percent	It displays the number to the percentage form and adds % sign and rounds it up to two decimal places.
Scientific	It displays a number in scientific notation.
Yes/No	It displays No if the number is equal to zero or Yes otherwise.
True/False	It displays False if the number is equal to zero or True otherwise.
On/Off	It displays Off if the number is equal to zero or On otherwise.

VBA Text Formats: Here are the following list of Text and Memo formats.

Format Symbol	Description
@	Text character is required.
&	Text character is not required.
<	Convert all characters to lowercase.
>	Convert all characters to uppercase.

FirstDayOfWeek: The FirstDayOfWeek is an optional argument. It represents the first day of week. This argument uses the default value vbSunday (Sunday).

VBA Constant	Value	Description
vbUseSystem	0	Uses the NLS API setting (The first day of the week specified in system settings)
VbSunday	1	Sunday
vbMonday	2	Monday
vbTuesday	3	Tuesday
vbWednesday	4	Wednesday
vbThursday	5	Thursday
vbFriday	6	Friday
vbSaturday	7	Saturday

FirstWeekOfYear: The FirstWeekOfYear is an optional argument. It represents the first week of the year. This argument uses the default value vbFirstJan1 (1st January).

VBA Constant	Value	Description
vbUseSystem	0	Uses the NLS API setting.
vbFirstJan1	1	The week that conatins 1st Jan in the year.
vbFirstFourDays	2	The first week that conatins atleast 4 days in the year.
vbFirstFullWeek	3	The first full week of the year.

Where we can apply or use the VBA Format Function?

We can use this VBA Format function in MS Office 365, MS Excel 2016, MS Excel 2013, 2011, Excel 2010, Excel 2007, Excel 2003, Excel 2016 for Mac, Excel 2011 for Mac, Excel Online, Excel for iPhone, Excel for iPad, Excel for Android tablets and Excel for Android Mobiles.

Example 1: Format Date and Time

Here is a simple example of the VBA Format function. Here you can see multiple examples of VBA Date and Time Format function.

'Format Date and Time
Sub VBA_Format_Function_Ex1()

    Dim sDate As String, sTime As String
    Dim sDateTime As String
    Dim sOutput As String, sOutput1 As String, sOutput2 As String
    
    sDate = Date:    sTime = Time
        
    sDateTime = sDate & " " & sTime
    
    sOutput = Format(sDateTime)
    
    MsgBox "General Date & Time Format : " & vbCrLf & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput1 = Format(sDate, "Medium Date")
    sOutput2 = Format(sTime, "Medium time")
        
    MsgBox "Medium Date Format : " & sOutput1 & vbCrLf & "Medium Time Format : " & sOutput2, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput1 = Format(sDate, "Long Date")
    sOutput2 = Format(sTime, "Long time")
        
    MsgBox "Long Date Format : " & sOutput1 & vbCrLf & "Long Time Format : " & sOutput2, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput1 = Format(sDate, "dddd mm/dd/yyyy")
    sOutput2 = Format(sTime, "hh:mm:ss AMPM")
        
    MsgBox "User defined Date Format : " & sOutput1 & vbCrLf & "User defined Time Format : " & sOutput2, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
     
End Sub

Output: Here is the screen shot of the first example output.

Example 2: Format Numbers and Currency

Here is a simple example of the VBA Format function. Here you can see multiple examples of VBA Number and Currency Format function.

'Format Numbers and currencies
Sub VBA_Format_Function_Ex2()

    Dim sValue As String, sValue1 As String
    Dim sOutput As String
    
    sValue = 0.1234: sValue1 = 12345
    
    sOutput = Format(sValue) ' General Number Format
    
    MsgBox "General Number Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue1, "Standard") '
    
    MsgBox "Standard Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue1, "Fixed") '
    
    MsgBox "Fixed Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue, "Currency") '
    
    MsgBox "Currency Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue, "Percent") '
    
    MsgBox "Percent Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
     
End Sub

Output: Here is the screen shot of the second example output.

Example 3: Format Text/String

Here is a simple example of the VBA Format function. Here you can see multiple examples of VBA Text/String Format function.

'Format Text/String
Sub VBA_Format_Function_Ex3()

    Dim sValue As String, sValue1 As String
    Dim sOutput As String
    
    sValue = "Welcome to VBAF1": sValue1 = "999999999"
    
    sOutput = Format(sValue, ">")
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   sOutput = Format(sValue, "<")
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      sOutput = Format(sValue1, "@@@@@@@@@")
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue1, "@@@-@@@-@@@")
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue1, "@@@")
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   sOutput = Format(sValue1, "@@@-&&&-@@@")
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    
End Sub

Output: Here is the screen shot of the third example output.

Example 4: User Defined Format

Here is a simple example of the VBA Format function. Here you can see multiple examples of VBA User Defined Format function.

'User Defined Format
Sub VBA_Format_Function_Ex4()

    Dim sValue As String, sValue1 As String
    Dim sOutput As String
    
    sValue = 12345.678: sValue1 = 0.1357
    
    sOutput = Format(sValue, "0.000")
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue, "##,##0") '
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue, "$##,##0.00") '
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue, "£##,##0.00") '
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue1, "0%") '
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sOutput = Format(sValue1, "0.00%") '
    
    MsgBox "User defined Format : " & sOutput, vbInformation, "VBA Format Function"
     
End Sub

Output: Here is the screen shot of the fourth example output.

Instructions to Run VBA Macro Code or Procedure:

You can refer the following link for the step by step instructions.

Instructions to run VBA Macro Code

Other Useful Resources:

Click on the following links of the useful resources. These helps to learn and gain more knowledge.

VBA Tutorial VBA Functions List VBA Arrays in Excel Blog

VBA Editor Keyboard Shortcut Keys List VBA Interview Questions & Answers

title	keywords	f1_keywords	ms.prod	ms.assetid	ms.date	ms.localizationpriority
Format function (Visual Basic for Applications)	vblr6.chm1008925	vblr6.chm1008925	office	67f60abf-0c77-49ec-924f-74ae6eb96ea8	08/14/2019	high

Returns a Variant (String) containing an expression formatted according to instructions contained in a format expression.

[!includeAdd-ins note]

Syntax

Format(Expression, [ Format ], [ FirstDayOfWeek ], [ FirstWeekOfYear ])

The Format function syntax has these parts.

Part	Description
Expression	Required. Any valid expression.
Format	Optional. A valid named or user-defined format expression.
FirstDayOfWeek	Optional. A constant that specifies the first day of the week.
FirstWeekOfYear	Optional. A constant that specifies the first week of the year.

Settings

The firstdayofweek argument has these settings.

Constant	Value	Description
vbUseSystem	0	Use NLS API setting.
vbSunday	1	Sunday (default)
vbMonday	2	Monday
vbTuesday	3	Tuesday
vbWednesday	4	Wednesday
vbThursday	5	Thursday
vbFriday	6	Friday
vbSaturday	7	Saturday

The firstweekofyear argument has these settings.

Constant	Value	Description
vbUseSystem	0	Use NLS API setting.
vbFirstJan1	1	Start with week in which January 1 occurs (default).
vbFirstFourDays	2	Start with the first week that has at least four days in the year.
vbFirstFullWeek	3	Start with the first full week of the year.

Remarks

To format	Do this
Numbers	Use predefined named numeric formats or create user-defined numeric formats.
Dates and times	Use predefined named date/time formats or create user-defined date/time formats.
Date and time serial numbers	Use date and time formats or numeric formats.
Strings	Create your own user-defined string formats.

Format truncates format to 257 characters.

If you try to format a number without specifying format, Format provides functionality similar to the Str function, although it is internationally aware. However, positive numbers formatted as strings using Format don’t include a leading space reserved for the sign of the value; those converted using Str retain the leading space.

If you are formatting a non-localized numeric string, you should use a user-defined numeric format to ensure that you get the look you want.

[!NOTE]
If the Calendar property setting is Gregorian and format specifies date formatting, the supplied expression must be Gregorian. If the Visual Basic Calendar property setting is Hijri, the supplied expression must be Hijri.

If the calendar is Gregorian, the meaning of format expression symbols is unchanged. If the calendar is Hijri, all date format symbols (for example, dddd, mmmm, yyyy ) have the same meaning but apply to the Hijri calendar. Format symbols remain in English; symbols that result in text display (for example, AM and PM) display the string (English or Arabic) associated with that symbol. The range of certain symbols changes when the calendar is Hijri.

Date symbols

Symbol	Range
d	1-31 (Day of month, with no leading zero)
dd	01-31 (Day of month, with a leading zero)
w	1-7 (Day of week, starting with Sunday = 1)
ww	1-53 (Week of year, with no leading zero; Week 1 starts on Jan 1)
m	1-12 (Month of year, with no leading zero, starting with January = 1)
mm	01-12 (Month of year, with a leading zero, starting with January = 01)
mmm	Displays abbreviated month names (Hijri month names have no abbreviations)
mmmm	Displays full month names
y	1-366 (Day of year)
yy	00-99 (Last two digits of year)
yyyy	100-9999 (Three- or Four-digit year)

Time symbols

Symbol	Range
h	0-23 (1-12 with «AM» or «PM» appended) (Hour of day, with no leading zero)
hh	00-23 (01-12 with «AM» or «PM» appended) (Hour of day, with a leading zero)
n	0-59 (Minute of hour, with no leading zero)
nn	00-59 (Minute of hour, with a leading zero)
m	0-59 (Minute of hour, with no leading zero). Only if preceded by h or hh
mm	00-59 (Minute of hour, with a leading zero). Only if preceded by h or hh
s	0-59 (Second of minute, with no leading zero)
ss	00-59 (Second of minute, with a leading zero)

Example

This example shows various uses of the Format function to format values using both named formats and user-defined formats. For the date separator (/), time separator (:), and AM/ PM literal, the actual formatted output displayed by your system depends on the locale settings on which the code is running. When times and dates are displayed in the development environment, the short time format and short date format of the code locale are used. When displayed by running code, the short time format and short date format of the system locale are used, which may differ from the code locale. For this example, English/U.S. is assumed. MyTime and MyDate are displayed in the development environment using current system short time setting and short date setting.

Dim MyTime, MyDate, MyStr
MyTime = #17:04:23#
MyDate = #January 27, 1993#

' Returns current system time in the system-defined long time format.
MyStr = Format(Time, "Long Time")

' Returns current system date in the system-defined long date format.
MyStr = Format(Date, "Long Date")

MyStr = Format(MyTime, "h:m:s")    ' Returns "17:4:23".
MyStr = Format(MyTime, "hh:mm:ss am/pm")    ' Returns "05:04:23 pm".
MyStr = Format(MyTime, "hh:mm:ss AM/PM")    ' Returns "05:04:23 PM".
MyStr = Format(MyDate, "dddd, mmm d yyyy")    ' Returns "Wednesday, Jan 27 1993".
' If format is not supplied, a string is returned.
MyStr = Format(23)    ' Returns "23".

' User-defined formats.
MyStr = Format(5459.4, "##,##0.00")    ' Returns "5,459.40".
MyStr = Format(334.9, "###0.00")    ' Returns "334.90".
MyStr = Format(5, "0.00%")    ' Returns "500.00%".
MyStr = Format("HELLO", "<")    ' Returns "hello".
MyStr = Format("This is it", ">")    ' Returns "THIS IS IT".

Different formats for different numeric values

A user-defined format expression for numbers can have from one to four sections separated by semicolons. If the format argument contains one of the named numeric formats, only one section is allowed.

If you use	The result is
One section only	The format expression applies to all values.
Two sections	The first section applies to positive values and zeros, the second to negative values.
Three sections	The first section applies to positive values, the second to negative values, and the third to zeros.
Four sections	The first section applies to positive values, the second to negative values, the third to zeros, and the fourth to Null values.

If you include semicolons with nothing between them, the missing section is printed using the format of the positive value. For example, the following format displays positive and negative values using the format in the first section and displays «Zero» if the value is zero.

Different formats for different string values

A format expression for strings can have one section or two sections separated by a semicolon (;).

If you use	The result is
One section only	The format applies to all string data.
Two sections	The first section applies to string data, the second to Null values and zero-length strings («»).

Named date/time formats

The following table identifies the predefined date and time format names.

Format name	Description
General Date	Display a date and/or time, for example, 4/3/93 05:34 PM. If there is no fractional part, display only a date, for example, 4/3/93. If there is no integer part, display time only, for example, 05:34 PM. Date display is determined by your system settings.
Long Date	Display a date according to your system’s long date format.
Medium Date	Display a date using the medium date format appropriate for the language version of the host application.
Short Date	Display a date using your system’s short date format.
Long Time	Display a time using your system’s long time format; includes hours, minutes, seconds.
Medium Time	Display time in 12-hour format using hours and minutes and the AM/PM designator.
Short Time	Display a time using the 24-hour format, for example, 17:45.

Named numeric formats

The following table identifies the predefined numeric format names.

Format name	Description
General Number	Display number with no thousand separator.
Currency	Display number with thousand separator, if appropriate; display two digits to the right of the decimal separator. Output is based on system locale settings.
Fixed	Display at least one digit to the left and two digits to the right of the decimal separator.
Standard	Display number with thousand separator, at least one digit to the left and two digits to the right of the decimal separator.
Percent	Display number multiplied by 100 with a percent sign (%) appended to the right; always display two digits to the right of the decimal separator.
Scientific	Use standard scientific notation.
Yes/No	Display No if number is 0; otherwise, display Yes.
True/False	Display False if number is 0; otherwise, display True.
On/Off	Display Off if number is 0; otherwise, display On.

User-defined string formats

Use any of the following characters to create a format expression for strings.

Character	Description
@	Character placeholder. Display a character or a space. If the string has a character in the position where the at symbol (@) appears in the format string, display it; otherwise, display a space in that position. Placeholders are filled from right to left unless there is an exclamation point character (!) in the format string.
&	Character placeholder. Display a character or nothing. If the string has a character in the position where the ampersand (&) appears, display it; otherwise, display nothing. Placeholders are filled from right to left unless there is an exclamation point character (!) in the format string.
<	Force lowercase. Display all characters in lowercase format.
>	Force uppercase. Display all characters in uppercase format.
!	Force left to right fill of placeholders. The default is to fill placeholders from right to left.

User-defined date/time formats

The following table identifies characters you can use to create user-defined date/time formats.

Character	Description
(:)	Time separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the time separator. The time separator separates hours, minutes, and seconds when time values are formatted. The actual character used as the time separator in formatted output is determined by your system settings.
(/)	Date separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the date separator. The date separator separates the day, month, and year when date values are formatted. The actual character used as the date separator in formatted output is determined by your system settings.
c	Display the date as ddddd and display the time as ttttt, in that order. Display only date information if there is no fractional part to the date serial number; display only time information if there is no integer portion.
d	Display the day as a number without a leading zero (1–31).
dd	Display the day as a number with a leading zero (01–31).
ddd	Display the day as an abbreviation (Sun–Sat). Localized.
dddd	Display the day as a full name (Sunday–Saturday). Localized.
ddddd	Display the date as a complete date (including day, month, and year), formatted according to your system’s short date format setting. The default short date format is m/d/yy.
dddddd	Display a date serial number as a complete date (including day, month, and year) formatted according to the long date setting recognized by your system. The default long date format is mmmm dd, yyyy.
w	Display the day of the week as a number (1 for Sunday through 7 for Saturday).
ww	Display the week of the year as a number (1–54).
m	Display the month as a number without a leading zero (1–12). If m immediately follows h or hh, the minute rather than the month is displayed.
mm	Display the month as a number with a leading zero (01–12). If m immediately follows h or hh, the minute rather than the month is displayed.
mmm	Display the month as an abbreviation (Jan–Dec). Localized.
mmmm	Display the month as a full month name (January–December). Localized.
q	Display the quarter of the year as a number (1–4).
y	Display the day of the year as a number (1–366).
yy	Display the year as a 2-digit number (00–99).
yyyy	Display the year as a 4-digit number (100–9999).
h	Display the hour as a number without a leading zero (0–23).
hh	Display the hour as a number with a leading zero (00–23).
n	Display the minute as a number without a leading zero (0–59).
nn	Display the minute as a number with a leading zero (00–59).
s	Display the second as a number without a leading zero (0–59).
ss	Display the second as a number with a leading zero (00–59).
ttttt	Display a time as a complete time (including hour, minute, and second), formatted using the time separator defined by the time format recognized by your system. A leading zero is displayed if the leading zero option is selected and the time is before 10:00 A.M. or P.M. The default time format is h:mm:ss.
AM/PM	Use the 12-hour clock and display an uppercase AM with any hour before noon; display an uppercase PM with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
am/pm	Use the 12-hour clock and display a lowercase AM with any hour before noon; display a lowercase PM with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
A/P	Use the 12-hour clock and display an uppercase A with any hour before noon; display an uppercase P with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
a/p	Use the 12-hour clock and display a lowercase A with any hour before noon; display a lowercase P with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
AMPM	Use the 12-hour clock and display the AM string literal as defined by your system with any hour before noon; display the PM string literal as defined by your system with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M. AMPM can be either uppercase or lowercase, but the case of the string displayed matches the string as defined by your system settings. The default format is AM/PM. If your system is set to 24-hour clock, the string is typical set to a zero-length string.

User-defined numeric formats

The following table identifies characters you can use to create user-defined number formats.

Character	Description
None	Display the number with no formatting.
(0)	Digit placeholder. Display a digit or a zero. If the expression has a digit in the position where the 0 appears in the format string, display it; otherwise, display a zero in that position.If the number has fewer digits than there are zeros (on either side of the decimal) in the format expression, display leading or trailing zeros. If the number has more digits to the right of the decimal separator than there are zeros to the right of the decimal separator in the format expression, round the number to as many decimal places as there are zeros. If the number has more digits to the left of the decimal separator than there are zeros to the left of the decimal separator in the format expression, display the extra digits without modification.
(#)	Digit placeholder. Display a digit or nothing. If the expression has a digit in the position where the # appears in the format string, display it; otherwise, display nothing in that position. This symbol works like the 0 digit placeholder, except that leading and trailing zeros aren’t displayed if the number has the same or fewer digits than there are # characters on either side of the decimal separator in the format expression.
(.)	Decimal placeholder. In some locales, a comma is used as the decimal separator. The decimal placeholder determines how many digits are displayed to the left and right of the decimal separator. If the format expression contains only number signs to the left of this symbol, numbers smaller than 1 begin with a decimal separator. To display a leading zero displayed with fractional numbers, use 0 as the first digit placeholder to the left of the decimal separator. The actual character used as a decimal placeholder in the formatted output depends on the Number Format recognized by your system.
(%)	Percentage placeholder. The expression is multiplied by 100. The percent character (%) is inserted in the position where it appears in the format string.
(,)	Thousand separator. In some locales, a period is used as a thousand separator. The thousand separator separates thousands from hundreds within a number that has four or more places to the left of the decimal separator. Standard use of the thousand separator is specified if the format contains a thousand separator surrounded by digit placeholders (0 or #). Two adjacent thousand separators or a thousand separator immediately to the left of the decimal separator (whether or not a decimal is specified) means «scale the number by dividing it by 1000, rounding as needed.» For example, you can use the format string «##0,,» to represent 100 million as 100. Numbers smaller than 1 million are displayed as 0. Two adjacent thousand separators in any position other than immediately to the left of the decimal separator are treated simply as specifying the use of a thousand separator. The actual character used as the thousand separator in the formatted output depends on the Number Format recognized by your system.
(:)	Time separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the time separator. The time separator separates hours, minutes, and seconds when time values are formatted. The actual character used as the time separator in formatted output is determined by your system settings.
(/)	Date separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the date separator. The date separator separates the day, month, and year when date values are formatted. The actual character used as the date separator in formatted output is determined by your system settings.
(E- E+ e- e+)	Scientific format. If the format expression contains at least one digit placeholder (0 or #) to the right of E-, E+, e-, or e+, the number is displayed in scientific format and E or e is inserted between the number and its exponent. The number of digit placeholders to the right determines the number of digits in the exponent. Use E- or e- to place a minus sign next to negative exponents. Use E+ or e+ to place a minus sign next to negative exponents and a plus sign next to positive exponents.
— + $ ( )	Display a literal character. To display a character other than one of those listed, precede it with a backslash () or enclose it in double quotation marks (» «).
()	Display the next character in the format string. To display a character that has special meaning as a literal character, precede it with a backslash (). The backslash itself isn’t displayed. Using a backslash is the same as enclosing the next character in double quotation marks. To display a backslash, use two backslashes (\). Examples of characters that can’t be displayed as literal characters are the date-formatting and time-formatting characters (a, c, d, h, m, n, p, q, s, t, w, y, /, and :), the numeric-formatting characters (#, 0, %, E, e, comma, and period), and the string-formatting characters (@, &, <, >, and !).
(«ABC»)	Display the string inside the double quotation marks (» «). To include a string in format from within code, you must use Chr(34) to enclose the text (34 is the character code for a quotation mark («)).

See also

• Functions (Visual Basic for Applications)

[!includeSupport and feedback]

Formatting Numbers in Excel VBA

Numbers come in all kinds of formats in Excel worksheets. You may already be familiar with the pop-up window in Excel for making use of different numerical formats:

Formatting of numbers make the numbers easier to read and understand. The Excel default for numbers entered into cells is ‘General’ format, which means that the number is displayed exactly as you typed it in.

For example, if you enter a round number e.g. 4238, it will be displayed as 4238 with no decimal point or thousands separators. A decimal number such as 9325.89 will be displayed with the decimal point and the decimals. This means that it will not line up in the column with the round numbers, and will look extremely messy.

Also, without showing the thousands separators, it is difficult to see how large a number actually is without counting the individual digits.  Is it in millions or tens of millions?

From the point of view of a user looking down a column of numbers, this makes it quite difficult to read and compare.

In VBA you have access to exactly the same range of formats that you have on the front end of Excel. This applies to not only an entered value in a cell on a worksheet, but also things like message boxes, UserForm controls, charts and graphs, and the Excel status bar at the bottom left hand corner of the worksheet.

The Format function is an extremely useful function in VBA in presentation terms, but it is also very complex in terms of the flexibility offered in how numbers are displayed.

How to Use the Format Function in VBA

If you are showing a message box, then the Format function can be used directly:

MsgBox Format(1234567.89, "#,##0.00")

This will display a large number using commas to separate the thousands and to show 2 decimal places.  The result will be 1,234,567.89.  The zeros in place of the hash ensure that decimals will be shown as 00 in whole numbers, and that there is a leading zero for a number which is less than 1

The hashtag symbol (#) represents a digit placeholder which displays a digit if it is available in that position, or else nothing.

You can also use the format function to address an individual cell, or a range of cells to change the format:

Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:A10").NumberFormat = "#,##0.00"

This code will set the range of cells (A1 to A10) to a custom format which separates the thousands with commas and shows 2 decimal places.

If you check the format of the cells on the Excel front end, you will find that a new custom format has been created.

You can also format numbers on the Excel Status Bar at the bottom left hand corner of the Excel window:

Application.StatusBar = Format(1234567.89, "#,##0.00")

You clear this from the status bar by using:

Application.StatusBar = ""

Creating a Format String

This example will add the text ‘Total Sales’ after each number, as well as including a thousands separator

Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:A6").NumberFormat = "#,##0.00"" Total Sales"""

This is what your numbers will look like:

Note that cell A6 has a ‘SUM’ formula, and this will include the ‘Total Sales’ text without requiring formatting.  If the formatting is applied, as in the above code, it will not put an extra instance of ‘Total Sales’ into cell A6

Although the cells now display alpha numeric characters, the numbers are still present in numeric form. The ‘SUM’ formula still works because it is using the numeric value in the background, not how the number is formatted.

The comma in the format string provides the thousands separator. Note that you only need to put this in the string once.  If the number runs into millions or billions, it will still separate the digits into groups of 3

The zero in the format string (0) is a digit placeholder. It displays a digit if it is there, or a zero. Its positioning is very important to ensure uniformity with the formatting

In the format string, the hash characters (#) will display nothing if there is no digit.  However, if there is a number like .8 (all decimals), we want it to show as 0.80 so that it lines up with the other numbers.

By using a single zero to the left of the decimal point and two zeros to the right of the decimal point in the format string, this will give the required result (0.80).

If there was only one zero to the right of the decimal point, then the result would be ‘0.8’ and everything would be displayed to one decimal place.

Using a Format String for Alignment

We may want to see all the decimal numbers in a range aligned on their decimal points, so that all the decimal points are directly under each other, however many places of decimals there are on each number.

You can use a question mark (?) within your format string to do this.  The ‘?’ indicates that a number is shown if it is available, or a space

Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:A6").NumberFormat = "#,##0.00??"

This will display your numbers as follows:

All the decimal points now line up underneath each other.  Cell A5 has three decimal places and this would throw the alignment out normally, but using the ‘?’ character aligns everything perfectly.

Using Literal Characters Within the Format String

You can add any literal character into your format string by preceding it with a backslash ().

Suppose that you want to show a particular currency indicator for your numbers which is not based on your locale.  The problem is that if you use a currency indicator, Excel automatically refers to your local and changes it to the one appropriate for the locale that is set on the Windows Control Panel.  This could have implications if your Excel application is being distributed in other countries and you want to ensure that whatever the locale is, the currency indicator is always the same.

You may also want to indicate that the numbers are in millions in the following example:

Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:A6").NumberFormat = "$#,##0.00 m"

This will produce the following results on your worksheet:

In using a backslash to display literal characters, you do not need to use a backslash for each individual character within a string. You can use:

Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:A6").NumberFormat = "$#,##0.00 mill"

This will display ‘mill’ after every number within the formatted range.

You can use most characters as literals, but not reserved characters such as 0, #,?

Use of Commas in a Format String

We have already seen that commas can be used to create thousands separators for large numbers, but they can also be used in another way.

By using them at the end of the numeric part of the format string, they act as scalers of thousands. In other words, they will divide each number by 1,000 every time there is a comma.

In the example data, we are showing it with an indicator that it is in millions. By inserting one comma into the format string, we can show those numbers divided by 1,000.

Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:A6").NumberFormat = "$#,##0.00,m"

This will show the numbers divided by 1,000 although the original number will still be in background in the cell.

If you put two commas in the format string, then the numbers will be divided by a million

Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:A6").NumberFormat = "$#,##0.00,,m"

This will be the result using only one comma (divide by 1,000):

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Creating Conditional Formatting within the Format String

You could set up conditional formatting on the front end of Excel, but you can also do it within your VBA code, which means that you can manipulate the format string programmatically to make changes.

You can use up to four sections within your format string.  Each section is delimited by a semicolon (;). The four sections correspond to positive, negative, zero, and text

Range("A1:A7").NumberFormat = "#,##0.00;[Red]-#,##0.00;[Green] #,##0.00;[Blue]”

In this example, we use the same hash, comma, and zero characters to provide thousand separators and two decimal points, but we now have different sections for each type of value.

The first section is for positive numbers and is no different to what we have already seen previously in terms of format.

The second section for negative numbers introduces a color (Red) which is held within a pair of square brackets. The format is the same as for positive numbers except that a minus (-) sign has been added in front.

The third section for zero numbers uses a color (Green) within square brackets with the numeric string the same as for positive numbers.

The final section is for text values, and all that this needs is a color (Blue) again within square brackets

This is the result of applying this format string:

You can go further with conditions within the format string.  Suppose that you wanted to show every positive number above 10,000 as green, and every other number as red you could use this format string:

Range("A1:A7").NumberFormat = "[>=10000][Green]#,##0.00;[<10000][Red]#,##0.00"

This format string includes conditions for >=10000 set in square brackets so that green will only be used where the number is greater than or equal to 10000

This is the result:

Using Fractions in Formatting Strings

Fractions are not often used in spreadsheets, since they normally equate to decimals which everyone is familiar with.

However, sometimes they do serve a purpose. This example will display dollars and cents:

Range("A1:A7").NumberFormat = "#,##0 "" dollars and "" 00/100 ""  cents """

This is the result that will be produced:

Remember that in spite of the numbers being displayed as text, they are still there in the background as numbers and all the Excel formulas can still be used on them.

Date and Time Formats

Dates are actually numbers and you can use formats on them in the same way as for numbers.  If you format a date as a numeric number, you will see a large number to the left of the decimal point and a number of decimal places. The number to the left of the decimal point shows the number of days starting at 01-Jan-1900, and the decimal places show the time based on 24hrs

MsgBox Format(Now(), "dd-mmm-yyyy")

This will format the current date to show ’08-Jul-2020’. Using ‘mmm’ for the month displays the first three characters of the month name.  If you want the full month name then you use ‘mmmm’

You can include times in your format string:

MsgBox Format(Now(), "dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm AM/PM")

This will display ’08-Jul-2020 01:25 PM’

‘hh:mm’ represents hours and minutes and AM/PM uses a 12-hour clock as opposed to a 24-hour clock.

You can incorporate text characters into your format string:

MsgBox Format(Now(), "dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm AM/PM"" today""")

This will display ’08-Jul-2020 01:25 PM today’

You can also use literal characters using a backslash in front in the same way as for numeric format strings.

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Predefined Formats

Excel has a number of built-in formats for both numbers and dates that you can use in your code.  These mainly reflect what is available on the number formatting front end, although some of them go beyond what is normally available on the pop-up window.  Also, you do not have the flexibility over number of decimal places, or whether thousands separators are used.

General Number

This format will display the number exactly as it is

MsgBox Format(1234567.89, "General Number")

The result will be 1234567.89

Currency

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "Currency")

This format will add a currency symbol in front of the number e.g. $, £ depending on your locale, but it will also format the number to 2 decimal places and will separate the thousands with commas.

The result will be $1,234,567.89

Fixed

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "Fixed")

This format displays at least one digit to the left but only two digits to the right of the decimal point.

The result will be 1234567.89

Standard

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "Standard")

This displays the number with the thousand separators, but only to two decimal places.

The result will be 1,234,567.89

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Percent

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "Percent")

The number is multiplied by 100 and a percentage symbol (%) is added at the end of the number.  The format displays to 2 decimal places

The result will be 123456789.40%

Scientific

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "Scientific")

This converts the number to Exponential format

The result will be 1.23E+06

Yes/No

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "Yes/No")

This displays ‘No’ if the number is zero, otherwise displays ‘Yes’

The result will be ‘Yes’

True/False

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "True/False")

This displays ‘False’ if the number is zero, otherwise displays ‘True’

The result will be ‘True’

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On/Off

MsgBox Format(1234567.894, "On/Off")

This displays ‘Off’ if the number is zero, otherwise displays ‘On’

The result will be ‘On’

General Date

MsgBox Format(Now(), "General Date")

This will display the date as date and time using AM/PM notation.  How the date is displayed depends on your settings in the Windows Control Panel (Clock and Region | Region). It may be displayed as ‘mm/dd/yyyy’ or ‘dd/mm/yyyy’

The result will be ‘7/7/2020 3:48:25 PM’

Long Date

MsgBox Format(Now(), "Long Date")

This will display a long date as defined in the Windows Control Panel (Clock and Region | Region).  Note that it does not include the time.

The result will be ‘Tuesday, July 7, 2020’

Medium Date

MsgBox Format(Now(), "Medium Date")

This displays a date as defined in the short date settings as defined by locale in the Windows Control Panel.

The result will be ’07-Jul-20’

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Short Date

MsgBox Format(Now(), "Short Date")

Displays a short date as defined in the Windows Control Panel (Clock and Region | Region). How the date is displayed depends on your locale. It may be displayed as ‘mm/dd/yyyy’ or ‘dd/mm/yyyy’

The result will be ‘7/7/2020’

Long Time

MsgBox Format(Now(), "Long Time")

Displays a long time as defined in Windows Control Panel (Clock and Region | Region).

The result will be ‘4:11:39 PM’

Medium Time

MsgBox Format(Now(), "Medium Time")

Displays a medium time as defined by your locale in the Windows Control Panel. This is usually set as 12-hour format using hours, minutes, and seconds and the AM/PM format.

The result will be ’04:15 PM’

Short Time

MsgBox Format(Now(), "Short Time")

Displays a medium time as defined in Windows Control Panel (Clock and Region | Region). This is usually set as 24-hour format with hours and minutes

The result will be ’16:18’

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Dangers of Using Excel’s Pre-Defined Formats in Dates and Times

The use of the pre-defined formats for dates and times in Excel VBA is very dependent on the settings in the Windows Control Panel and also what the locale is set to

Users can easily alter these settings, and this will have an effect on how your dates and times are displayed in Excel

For example, if you develop an Excel application which uses pre-defined formats within your VBA code, these may change completely if a user is in a different country or using a different locale to you.  You may find that column widths do not fit the date definition, or on a user form the Active X control such as a combo box (drop down) control is too narrow for the dates and times to be displayed properly.

You need to consider where the audience is geographically when you develop your Excel application

User-Defined Formats for Numbers

There are a number of different parameters that you can use when defining your format string:

Character	Description
Null String	No formatting
0	Digit placeholder. Displays a digit or a zero. If there is a digit for that position then it displays the digit otherwise it displays 0. If there are fewer digits than zeros, then you will get leading or trailing zeros. If there are more digits after the decimal point than there are zeros, then the number is rounded to the number of decimal places shown by the zeros. If there are more digits before the decimal point than zeros these will be displayed normally.
#	Digit placeholder. This displays a digit or nothing. It works the same as the zero placeholder above, except that leading and trailing zeros are not displayed. For example 0.75 would be displayed using zero placeholders, but this would be .75 using # placeholders.
. Decimal point.	Only one permitted per format string. This character depends on the settings in the Windows Control Panel.
%	Percentage placeholder. Multiplies number by 100 and places % character where it appears in the format string
, (comma)	Thousand separator. This is used if 0 or # placeholders are used and the format string contains a comma. One comma to the left of the decimal point indicates round to the nearest thousand. E.g. ##0, Two adjacent commas to the left of the thousand separator indicate rounding to the nearest million. E.g. ##0,,
E- E+	Scientific format. This displays the number exponentially.
: (colon)	Time separator – used when formatting a time to split hours, minutes and seconds.
/	Date separator – this is used when specifying a format for a date
– + £ $ ( )	Displays a literal character. To display a character other than listed here, precede it with a backslash ()

User-Defined Formats for Dates and Times

These characters can all be used in you format string when formatting dates and times:

Character	Meaning
c	Displays the date as ddddd and the time as ttttt
d	Display the day as a number without leading zero
dd	Display the day as a number with leading zero
ddd	Display the day as an abbreviation (Sun – Sat)
dddd	Display the full name of the day (Sunday – Saturday)
ddddd	Display a date serial number as a complete date according to Short Date in the International settings of the windows Control Panel
dddddd	Displays a date serial number as a complete date according to Long Date in the International settings of the Windows Control Panel.
w	Displays the day of the week as a number (1 = Sunday)
ww	Displays the week of the year as a number (1-53)
m	Displays the month as a number without leading zero
mm	Displays the month as a number with leading zeros
mmm	Displays month as an abbreviation (Jan-Dec)
mmmm	Displays the full name of the month (January – December)
q	Displays the quarter of the year as a number (1-4)
y	Displays the day of the year as a number (1-366)
yy	Displays the year as a two-digit number
yyyy	Displays the year as four-digit number
h	Displays the hour as a number without leading zero
hh	Displays the hour as a number with leading zero
n	Displays the minute as a number without leading zero
nn	Displays the minute as a number with leading zero
s	Displays the second as a number without leading zero
ss	Displays the second as a number with leading zero
ttttt	Display a time serial number as a complete time.
AM/PM	Use a 12-hour clock and display AM or PM to indicate before or after noon.
am/pm	Use a 12-hour clock and use am or pm to indicate before or after noon
A/P	Use a 12-hour clock and use A or P to indicate before or after noon
a/p	Use a 12-hour clock and use a or p to indicate before or after noon

Home / VBA / Top VBA Functions / VBA FORMAT Function (Syntax + Example)

The VBA FORMAT function is listed under the text category of VBA functions. When you use it in a VBA code, it returns a value formatted in the format you have specified. In simple words, you can use it to format an expression into a format that you can specify. There is one thing you need to note here the result that it returns is the string data type.

Format(Expression,[Format],[FirstDayOfWeek],[FirstWeekOfYear])

Arguments

• Expression: The expression that you want to format.
• [Format]: The format which you want to apply to the expression [This is an optional argument and if omitted VBA takes General by default].
• [FirstDayOfWeek]: A string to define the first day of the week [This is an optional argument and if omitted vbSunday by default].
  • vbUseSystemDayOfWeek – As per the system settings.
  • vbSunday – Sunday
  • vbMonday – Monday
  • vbTuesday – Tuesday
  • vbWednesday – Wednesday
  • vbThursday – Thursday
  • vbFriday – Friday
  • vbSaturday – Saturday
• [FirstWeekOfYear]: A string to define the first week of the year [This is an optional argument and if omitted vbFirstJan1 by default].
  • vbSystem – As per the system settings.
  • vbFirstJan1 – The week in which the 1st Day of Jan occurs.
  • vbFirstFourDays – The first week that contains at least four days in the new year.
  • vbFirstFullWeek – The first full week in the new year.

Example

To practically understand how to use VBA FORMAT function, you need to go through the below example where we have written a vba code by using it:

Sub example_FORMAT()
Range("B1").Value = Format(Range("A1"), "Currency")
Range("B2").Value = Format(Range("A2"), "Long Date")
Range("B3").Value = Format(Range("A3"), "True/False")
End Sub

In the above example, we have used FORMAT with three different predefined formats:

1. Converting the value from cell A1 into a currency format.
2. Converting the date from cell A2 into a long date.
3. Converting the number from cell A3 into a boolean.

Notes

• You can also create your own format to use in the “format” argument.