How to Convert Percentage to Number in Excel
Percent pasted as text — 5%, 12.5 % — won't add, average or sort, and VALUE is maddeningly inconsistent about whether you get 5 or 0.05. Here's why, and the one-click way, with you choosing which figure you want.
Last updated: August 2026
| Before (text) | After | |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | → | 5 (shown) |
| 5% | → | 0.05 (as fraction) |
Why percent text won't math
When a value comes in as 5% or 12.5 %, the percent sign and stray spaces make Excel store it as text, so SUM and AVERAGE silently skip it. The usual repair — =VALUE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"%","")) or similar — is inconsistent about the ×100: sometimes it hands back 5, sometimes 0.05, and you're left checking each case and correcting by hand across the column.
The 1-click way — Tellsheet's Convert % to Number
Select the column and run Convert % to Number. By default it keeps the shown figure — 5% becomes 5; switch to as fraction for the proportion — 5% becomes 0.05. It only touches text ending in %, leaving ordinary numbers and other text untouched, and the results are real numbers. Pairs with Convert Text to Number and Fix European Numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a percentage to a number in Excel?
Percent text won't calculate; the usual fix is a VALUE/SUBSTITUTE formula that's inconsistent about the ×100. Convert % to Number does it in one click, your choice of figure.
Does 5% become 5 or 0.05?
Your choice — the shown figure (5) by default, or the fraction (0.05) if you switch to 'as fraction'.
Why won't percent text calculate?
The % sign and spaces make the cell text, so SUM and AVERAGE ignore it. Converting to a real number fixes that.
Will it touch cells that aren't percentages?
No — it only converts text ending in %, so ordinary numbers and other text are left as they are.
Related Excel guides
Turn percent text into numbers in one click
Convert % to Number turns 5% into a real number — the shown figure or the fraction — touching only cells that end in %.
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