How to Convert Negative to Positive in Excel
Flipping signs means a helper column of ABS or *-1 and a paste-back — and if your export stored negatives as text, a trailing minus or parentheses, they won't calculate at all. Here's why, and the one-click fix in place.
Last updated: August 2026
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| (50) (text) | → | -50 |
| 50- (text) | → | -50 |
| -50 | → | 50 (force positive) |
Why ABS and *-1 fall short
=ABS(A2) forces positive and =A2*-1 flips the sign, but both need a helper column and a paste-as-values step to keep. The bigger problem is imports: SAP, mainframe and bank exports often write a negative as text — a trailing minus (50-) or accounting parentheses ((50)). Excel treats those as strings, so they don't sum, sort or chart, and no simple ABS can rescue a value that isn't a number to begin with.
The 1-click way — Tellsheet's Change Sign
Select the column and run Change Sign. Choose the action — flip the sign, force all positive, or force all negative — and it also repairs text negatives: a trailing minus (50-) or parentheses ((50)) become real negative numbers in place. No helper column, no paste-back. Pairs with Convert Text to Number and Fix European Numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert negatives to positive in Excel?
The built-in way is =ABS(A2) or =A2*-1 in a helper column. Change Sign does it in place in one click, no helper column.
Why won't a trailing minus like 50- calculate?
Excel stores it as text with the minus on the wrong side, so it can't do arithmetic. Change Sign turns it into a real negative number.
Does it handle accounting parentheses like (50)?
Yes — parentheses stored as text become real negatives, so (50) becomes -50 and the column calculates.
Does it work in place?
Yes — it updates the selected column directly, with no helper column and no paste-as-values step.
Related Excel guides
Fix signs and text negatives in one click
Change Sign flips signs or forces a direction, and repairs trailing-minus and parenthesis text negatives into real numbers — in place.
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