# Excel Formatting Question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-formatting-question/688770
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 19, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-formatting-question/688770 "2014-05-19T21:01:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-formatting-question/688770/1 "2014-05-19T21:01:08Z")
Every week I get a spreadsheet forwarded to me second hand so I don’t have any direct contact with the author.
The input cells are formatted so that ZERO’s do not show up. For my purpose, I like the ZERO’s to show up and I cannot figure out how to unformat the cells. And it the format is for all cells in the sheet, even if input “0” in the non-input cells.
The number format was “General”. Negative numbers show up.
I have selected the cells and cleared Formats. I have checked Conditional Formatting. Nothing strange
I have found a couple of “work-arounds”, I enter 0.00001 and format it to no decimals and I can also copy the entire sheet to a brand new sheet and it works for my purposes.
But I am curious to know what the author has done to this spreadsheet to make ZERO’s unseen.
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-formatting-question/688770/2 "2014-05-19T21:36:12Z")
File \>\> Options \>\> Advanced \>\> Display options for this worksheet: \>\> Show a zero in cells that have zero value
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### Author:  [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-formatting-question/688770/3 "2014-05-19T21:52:38Z")
Thank. I am using Excel 2007 so I had no “File” command.
But I found it in _Excel Options,_ _Advanced_ (Scroll down to _Display Options for this Worksheet_)
Lots of good stuff in Excel Options. I looked here but I didn’t scroll down on the _Advanced_ subsection.
Still not sure why the author wanted to hide ZEROs.
Again Thank you very much.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-formatting-question/688770/4 "2014-05-21T20:34:25Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#):
>
> Thank. I am using Excel 2007 so I had no “File” command.
>
> But I found it in _Excel Options,_ _Advanced_ (Scroll down to _Display Options for this Worksheet_)
>
> Lots of good stuff in Excel Options. I looked here but I didn’t scroll down on the _Advanced_ subsection.
>
> Still not sure why the author wanted to hide ZEROs.
>
> Again Thank you very much.
You might get traditional File, Edit, etc. menus if you hit the Alt key on your keyboard.
Don’t know why Microsoft and others are so determined to get rid of predictable pull-down menus in favor of ribbons and buttons.