Last Updated: November 2025 | Excel 365, 2024, 2021, 2019 Compatible
Looking to find the easiest way to calculate a percentage in Excel? You found the right place…
If you work with numbers, you need to know how to calculate percentages in Excel. Business owners use percentages for profit and loss. Students calculate grades. Accountants work with tax rates and discounts. The list goes on.
This guide shows you how to calculate percentages in Excel 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, and Excel for Web. You’ll learn basic formulas that work in every version, plus advanced features like dynamic arrays and LAMBDA functions for Excel 365 users.
You’ll find step-by-step instructions for:
- Basic percentage calculations
- Percentage of totals
- Percentage increases and decreases
- Advanced formulas with SUMIF and dynamic arrays
What’s the Easiest Way to Calculate Percentages in Excel?
The easiest way is to type a simple division formula, then format the cell as a percentage.
Here’s what you do:
- Type =45/60 (or whatever numbers you’re working with)
- Press Enter
- Press Ctrl+Shift+% on Windows or ⌘+Shift+% on Mac
Done. Excel shows 75%.
That’s it. Excel does the math and the formatting. You just type the formula and press two buttons.
You can also click the % button on the Home tab if you prefer using your mouse. Both methods take about 3 seconds.
What is the Percentage Formula in Excel?
The basic formula is =part/total
For example, if you scored 45 out of 60 on a test, type =45/60 and Excel shows 0.75. That’s a decimal.
When you format it as a percentage (press Ctrl+Shift+% or click the % button), Excel converts 0.75 to 75%.
Here’s what’s happening: A percentage means “out of 100.” So 0.75 equals 75 out of 100, which we write as 75%. Excel multiplies the decimal by 100 and adds the % symbol automatically.
That’s why you don’t type *100 in your formula. The percentage format does that part for you.
You need two numbers: a part and a total. Divide the part by the total to get your percentage.
Step-by-Step: Calculate Percentage of Working Items
- Enter your data: Item names in column A, total items made in column B, faulty items in column C 2.
- In cell D2, type =C2/B2
- Press Enter. You’ll see a decimal (like 0.95)
- Select cell D2, then go to Home → Number Format → Percentage (%)
- Or press Ctrl+Shift+% on Windows or ⌘+Shift+% on Mac
- Use Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal buttons to adjust how many decimal places show
Column D now shows the percentage of items that work properly.
Other Methods for Calculating Percentages in Excel
Let’s look at the other methods for calculating percentages in Excel.
Calculate the Percentage from Values at the End of the Table
Sometimes your total sits at the bottom of your data column. You need to calculate what percentage each row represents of that total.
Here’s the formula: =B2/$B$5
Why the dollar signs? Column B has individual values. B5 has the total. To calculate each item’s percentage of the total, divide each value (B2, B3, B4) by the same total (B5).
Without dollar signs, copying =B2/B5 down changes it to =B3/B6, =B4/B7, etc. That’s wrong. The absolute reference =$B$5 locks the total in place.
Quick tip: Press F4 on Windows or ⌘+T on Mac while selecting a cell reference to add dollar signs automatically.
Related: Create an Absolute Reference in Excel – Beginner’s Guide
Format the cells:
- Select the cells with your decimal results (like C2:C4)
- Go to Home → Number Format → Percentage (%)
- Or press Ctrl+Shift+% on Windows or ⌘+Shift+% on Mac
- Click Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal to adjust precision
Calculate the Percentage from Values in Multiple Rows
When you need to calculate percentages based on specific criteria, use the SUMIF function. SUMIF adds up numbers that meet certain conditions. Then you divide that sum by the total to get a percentage.
We want to find what percentage of total sales came from the North branch. Here’s the formula:
=SUMIF(B2:B9, G2, D2:D9)/$D$10
Breaking Down the SUMIF Formula
SUMIF has three parts:
- Range (B2:B9): Where to look for the criteria (branch names)
- Criteria (G2): What to look for (“North”)
- Sum_range (D2:D9): Which values to add up (sales figures)
The formula finds all sales from the North branch, adds them up, then divides by total sales in D10 to get the percentage.
Example: North branch made $45,000 in sales. Total company sales were $150,000. The formula calculates $45,000 ÷ $150,000 = 0.30, which shows as 30% when formatted.
Use the same formula for the South branch—just change “North” to “South” in cell G2.
How to Calculate a Percentage Increase in Excel
Use this formula to compare values over time. It shows how much a number has grown or shrunk between two periods.
Percentage Increase = (new_value – old_value) / old_value
Understanding the Results:
- Positive result: The value increased (0.25 = 25% increase)
- Negative result: The value decreased (-0.15 = 15% decrease)
- Zero: No change
Calculate Percentage Increase or Decrease in Two Columns
This example compares monthly expenses.
- A positive percentage = costs went up.
- A negative percentage = costs went down.
Calculate Percentage Change Between Months:
- In cell D2, type =(C2-B2)/B2
- Press Enter. You’ll see a decimal result
- Select cell D2 and press Ctrl+Shift+% on Windows or ⌘+Shift+% on Mac to format as percentage
- Or go to Home → Number Format → Percentage (%)
- Click the bottom-right corner of cell D2 and drag down to copy the formula to other rows
Quick tip: Double-click the fill handle (small square at bottom-right of cell) to auto-fill the formula down to the last row with data nearby.
Calculate a Percentage Increase or Decrease Between Two Numbers
You can also compare values within the same column to track changes over time. This works well for measuring growth, like tracking a plant’s height each week.
To compare each week’s growth against the starting point, use this formula in C3:
=(B3-$B$2)/$B$2
Why absolute reference? The plant’s starting height (B2) stays constant for all comparisons. Without the dollar signs, the reference would shift as you copy the formula down, giving wrong results.
Note: Cell C2 stays empty because week 1 is your baseline – you can’t calculate percentage change from the starting point to itself. The formula begins in C3 (week 2) and compares week 2’s height against week 1.
Format the results as percentage to see the growth percentage.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is there another way to calculate a percentage in Excel?
Yes, there are multiple ways to format cells as percentages:
Keyboard shortcut (fastest): Select cells and press Ctrl+Shift+% on Windows or ⌘+Shift+% on Mac
Ribbon menu: Select cells → Home → Number Format → Percentage (%)
Percentage button: Click the % symbol in the Number group on the Home tab
Format Cells dialog: Right-click → Format Cells (or press Ctrl+1 / ⌘+1) → Choose Percentage → Set decimal places → OK
2. What is the formula to calculate the percentage of the total?
Divide the specific value by the total, then format as percentage:
=value/total
For example, to find what percentage males represent of the total population:
=B2/$B$6
The dollar signs ($) create an absolute reference, keeping B6 (the total) locked when you copy the formula. You can skip the *100 because Excel’s percentage formatting handles that automatically.
3. How do I multiply by a percentage in Excel?
Multiply your value by the percentage as a decimal. For example, to calculate 15% of a value:
=A2*0.15
Or if the percentage is in another cell (B2 showing 15%):
=A2*B2
Excel automatically handles the percentage value correctly when it’s formatted as percentage.
4. Why does my percentage show as 7500% instead of 75%?
This happens when you multiply by 100 in your formula AND format the cell as percentage. Excel’s percentage formatting already multiplies by 100, so you only need =part/total without the *100. Use the basic division formula and apply percentage formatting.
5. Can I calculate percentages in Excel for Web or Google Sheets?
Yes. Basic percentage formulas (=part/total, percentage increase, SUMIF) work the same in Excel for Web and Google Sheets. However, advanced Excel 365 features like LAMBDA and some dynamic array functions are only in Excel 365 desktop and Excel 2024.
6. How do I calculate percentage of completion in Excel?
Divide completed tasks by total tasks:
=completed/total
For example, if you’ve finished 7 out of 10 tasks: =7/10 returns 0.7, which displays as 70% when formatted. For text-based task lists, use:
=COUNTIF(range,”Complete”)/COUNTA(range)
7. What’s the difference between absolute and relative references for percentages?
Absolute references (like $A$10) stay locked when you copy formulas. Relative references (like A2) adjust automatically. When calculating multiple items as a percentage of one total, use an absolute reference for the total so it doesn’t change as you copy the formula down.
8. Can I use dynamic arrays to calculate percentages in Excel?
Yes, in Excel 365 and Excel 2024. Enter =A2:A10/SUM(A2:A10) in a single cell, and it automatically calculates percentages for all values at once. The LET() function makes these formulas even more readable.
Final Thoughts
Calculating percentages in Excel is a skill that applies across many real-world scenarios – from analyzing business profits and tracking project completion to calculating discounts and comparing statistics.
You’ve now learned:
- Basic percentage formulas for everyday calculations
- How to use absolute references correctly
- Percentage increase and decrease formulas
- Advanced techniques with SUMIF
- Common mistakes to avoid
The key is practice. Start with simple calculations, then add more complex formulas as you get comfortable. Excel’s percentage tools will save you time and reduce errors in your work.
Excel Training at Academy of Learning
As Excel spreadsheets are used in almost every profession, learning shortcuts and mathematical functions is helpful for confidently navigating various work situations. Check out our courses in Excel and Microsoft Office Applications to learn more about Excel functions and formulas. You can enroll in all of these courses on our website, and you will earn micro-credentials on their completion.
