Spreadsheet Practice

How to show percentage change with up and down arrows in Excel

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=TEXT(C2/B2-1,"▲0.0%;▼0.0%;0.0%")

Give TEXT a format with an arrow for each sign: =TEXT(C2/B2-1,"▲0.0%;▼0.0%;0.0%").

Result on the example
one result per row in D2, filled down to D6
Works in
Every current version
Google Sheets
Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in D2, filled down to D6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

A number format can have three sections separated by semicolons: for positive values, negative values and zero. The negative section shows the value without its minus sign, so "▼0.0%" turns -0.1 into ▼10.0%. TEXT applies that format and returns the label.

=TEXT(C2/B2-1,"▲0.0%;▼0.0%;0.0%")

Result"▲15.0%"

  1. C21380

    The value in C2.

  2. B21200

    The value in B2.

  3. C2/B21.15

    The / operator divides.

  4. C2/B2-10.15

    The - operator subtracts.

  5. TEXT(C2/B2-1,"▲0.0%;▼0.0%;0.0%")"▲15.0%"

    TEXT: Formats a number or date as text, e.g. "mmm" or "$#,##0".

    • valueC2/B2-10.15
    • format_text"▲0.0%;▼0.0%;0.0%"

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =TEXT(C2/B2-1,"▲0.0%;▼0.0%;0.0%"). 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(C2>=B2,"▲","▼")&TEXT(ABS(C2/B2-1),"0.0%")▲15.0%, ▼10.0%, ▼8.0%…Builds the label with IF; easier to extend, but it shows ▲0.0% when nothing changed, where the TEXT version uses its third section and shows 0.0%.

Common mistakes

  • TEXT returns text, so the result can't be summed or charted. To keep a number, put the same code in a custom number format (Format Cells, Custom) on a cell with =C2/B2-1.
  • Rounding can show ▲0.0% for a tiny rise. Round the change first if that confuses readers.

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.

Show percentage change with up and down arrows

In D2, show the percentage change with an up arrow for increases and a down arrow for decreases, then fill down to D6.

Questions

How do I color the arrows green and red?

Use a custom number format with colors: [Color10]▲0.0%;[Red]▼0.0%;0.0% on the numeric change.

Can I use other symbols?

Yes, any character works, such as ↑ and ↓ or + and −.

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.