MacXL: Custom Scientific Number Format Displayed Incorrectly

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The default Scientific number format included in Microsoft Excel is "0.00E+00". This format shows one number before the decimal point and two numbers after. If you create a custom scientific number format that has more than one place indicator before the decimal point, the numbers before the decimal point may not appear as you would expect.

For example, the following table shows a number, how the number will be displayed in Microsoft Excel with the "0.00E+00" format code, how the number will be displayed with the "00.00E+00" format code, and how you might expect it to be displayed with the "00.00E+00" format code.

                      0.00E+00      00.00E+00      00.00E+00
     Number           Actual        Actual         Expected
     -------------------------------------------------------

     0.00000245       2.45E-06      02.45E-06      24.5E-07
				

Earlier versions of Microsoft Excel display the number as shown in the "Expected" column. Depending on the number in the cell and the number of significant digits before the decimal point in the Custom Format Code, the versions of Microsoft Excel listed in this article may or may not show the number as expected.