Spreadsheet Practice

How to make positive numbers negative in Excel

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=-ABS(B2)

Put a minus in front of ABS: =-ABS(B2) makes every amount negative, including ones that already were.

Result on the example
one result per row in C2, filled down to C6
Works in
Every current version
Google Sheets
Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in C2, filled down to C6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

ABS first removes any sign, so every value is positive; the minus in front then makes it negative. That cleans up a column where expenses were entered inconsistently, some with a minus and some without.

=-ABS(B2)

Result-1800

  1. B2$1,800.00

    The value in B2.

  2. ABS(B2)1800

    ABS: Absolute value.

    • numberB2$1,800.00
  3. -ABS(B2)-1800

    Makes the value negative.

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =-ABS(B2). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.

Other ways to do it

Each one was run on the same example sheet.

FormulaResultWhen to use it
=IF(B2>0,-B2,B2)-$1,800.00, -$212.40, -$145.00…Flips only the positive values and leaves the negatives as they are.
=-B2-$1,800.00, $212.40, -$145.00…Different resultA plain minus flips every sign. Amounts that were already negative become positive: 212.40 and 79.99.

Common mistakes

  • =-B2 or multiplying by -1 turns already-negative amounts positive. Use -ABS when the column has mixed signs.
  • Negative numbers formatted with parentheses, like (212.40), are still negative values; check the sign with =B2<0 rather than by eye.

Try it yourself

Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.

Make positive numbers negative

In C2, turn the amount into a negative number whatever sign it was entered with, then fill down to C6.

Questions

How do I change the numbers in place?

Type -1 in a spare cell, copy it, select the positive amounts and use Paste Special > Multiply.

How do I show negatives in red or in parentheses?

That is formatting, not a formula: use a number format like #,##0.00;[Red](#,##0.00).

Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.