Spreadsheet Practice

How to remove decimals without rounding in Excel

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=TRUNC(A2)

Use TRUNC: =TRUNC(A2) drops everything after the decimal point, so 12.86 becomes 12 and -3.75 becomes -3.

Result on the example
one result per row in B2, filled down to B7
Works in
Every current version
Google Sheets
Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in B2, filled down to B7. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

TRUNC cuts the number at the decimal point and keeps the whole-number part with its sign. 0.99 becomes 0, not 1, because nothing is rounded. Give it a second argument to keep some decimals: =TRUNC(A2,1) turns 12.86 into 12.8.

=TRUNC(A2)

Result12

  1. A212.86

    The value in A2.

  2. TRUNC(A2)12

    TRUNC: Cuts off decimals without rounding.

    • numberA212.86

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =TRUNC(A2). 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
=ROUNDDOWN(A2,0)12, 7, -3…The same result: ROUNDDOWN also moves toward zero.
=INT(A2)12, 7, -4…Different resultINT rounds down to the next lower whole number. Negative numbers go further from zero: -3.75 becomes -4 and -18.6 becomes -19.

Common mistakes

  • Setting the cell format to 0 decimals only hides them, and it rounds the display: 0.99 shows as 1. The value used in sums is still 0.99.
  • INT and TRUNC agree for positive numbers only. Use TRUNC when negatives should simply lose their decimals.

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.

Remove decimals without rounding

In B2, remove the decimals from the reading without rounding, then fill down to B7.

Questions

How do I keep two decimals without rounding?

Use =TRUNC(A2,2).

How do I get only the decimal part?

Subtract the whole part: =A2-TRUNC(A2).

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.