Cellwise

Excel guide · 3 min read

How to calculate percentage in Excel

Divide the part by the whole, for example =B2/C2, then format the cell as a percentage with Home > Number > Percent Style (Ctrl+Shift+%). Excel stores 0.85 and shows it as 85%, so never multiply by 100 as well.

Sample data

Every formula on this page was calculated live against this sheet.

ABCD
1RepSoldTargetCommission rate
2Ava34400.05
3Ben52480.05
4Cara27450.04
5Dev45500.06

Percent of a total: part divided by whole

Most percentage questions are "what share is this of that?" In Excel that is just a division. Ava sold 34 units against a target of 40, so her percentage of target is 34 divided by 40.

Type the formula in an empty column (say E2), press Enter, then double-click the fill handle to copy it down. Each rep gets their own share of target.

fx=B2/C2

Result: 0.85

Returns 0.85. Format the cell as Percent and it shows 85%.

Show the result as a percentage

Excel keeps percentages as decimals: 85% is really 0.85. Formatting only changes how it looks. That is why a percent cell can feed straight into other formulas without dividing by 100.

  1. Select the cells with your results.
  2. Go to Home > Number and click the % button (Percent Style), or press Ctrl+Shift+%.
  3. Use Increase Decimal next to it if you want 85.0% or 108.33% instead of rounded whole percents.

Find X% of a number

To get a percentage of an amount, multiply. The commission rate in column D is already stored as a percent (5% = 0.05), so you multiply sales by it directly.

You can also type the percent into the formula, like =B2*5%. Excel reads 5% as 0.05.

fx=B3*D3

Result: 2.6

Ben sold 52 at a 5% rate, so this returns 2.6.

Increase or decrease a number by a percent

To raise a value by a percent, multiply by 1 plus the percent. To cut it, multiply by 1 minus the percent. This is the reliable way to add tax, apply a discount, or set next year's target.

Here Dev's target of 50 goes up by 10%.

fx=C5*(1+10%)

Result: 55

Returns 55, the target raised by 10%.

Put a percentage inside a sentence

If you need the percent inside text, such as a label on a dashboard, wrap the result in TEXT with a percent format code. Without TEXT, joining a number to text shows the raw decimal, like 0.6.

fx=A4&" hit "&TEXT(B4/C4,"0%")&" of target"

Result: Cara hit 60% of target

Shows "Cara hit 60% of target".

Common mistakes

Multiplying by 100 and then formatting as Percent

You get 8500% because Percent format already multiplies by 100 for display. Use =B2/C2 on its own and let the format do the work.

Typing 5 when you mean 5%

A rate cell holding 5 means 500%. Type 5% (Excel stores 0.05) or format the column as Percent before you type.

The whole cell is empty or zero

Dividing by an empty or zero target gives #DIV/0!. Wrap it like =IFERROR(B2/C2,"") or fill in the missing target.

FAQ

What is the formula for percentage in Excel?

There is no PERCENT function. Use =part/whole, such as =B2/C2, and format the cell as Percent. For X% of a number use =number*X%.

How do I calculate a percentage of a total column?

Divide each value by the column total and lock the total with dollar signs, like =B2/SUM($B$2:$B$7). Then fill down. See the percentage of total guide for the full walkthrough.

Why does my percentage show as 0%?

The value is probably below 0.5% and the format has no decimals, so it rounds to 0%. Click Increase Decimal to see it. Also check that you divided the part by the whole, not the other way round.

How do I subtract a percentage from a number?

Multiply by 1 minus the percent. =A2*(1-20%) takes 20% off the value in A2. Writing =A2-20% would only subtract 0.2.

Functions used

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Updated 2026-10-31