Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Determining an Integer Value.

Determining an Integer Value

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 9, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365


3

VBA, true to its BASIC roots, provides a function to return the integer value of an expression. This means that anything to the right of the decimal point is truncated. Thus, if a formula would normally result in a value such as 18.73, then the integer value of that formula would result in 18.

The syntax for the integer function is as follows:

x = Int(y)

where x is the result and y is a value or an expression that evaluates to a value.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9931) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Determining an Integer Value.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Quickly Deleting Rows and Columns

Deleting rows or columns is easy when you use the shortcut described in this tip. Just select the rows or columns and ...

Discover More

Changing the Default Font

If you don't like the font that Excel uses, by default, in a workbook, you can change it. Here's how.

Discover More

Changing the Line between Text and Footnotes

When your document includes footnotes, Word adds a line between the main text and those footnotes so that they are ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Tools on Developer Tab are Unavailable

Want to add some macros to your workbook? What do you do if you try to add the macros but the program has disabled the tools?

Discover More

Magnifying Only the Current Cell

You can use the Zoom feature of Excel to magnify what Excel shows of your workbook, but it affects the entire screen. ...

Discover More

Running a Macro in a Number of Workbooks

Got a macro that you need to run on each of a number of workbooks? Excel provides a number of ways to go about this task, ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two more than 7?

2024-07-10 08:09:02

Alex Blakenburg

@Kiwerry - in replying I nearly fell for the same trap you did. The tip was a "VBA" tip and in VBA the function is indeed "Fix" ie x = Fix(y)

Ref: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/language/reference/user-interface-help/int-fix-functions
"The difference between Int and Fix is that if number is negative, Int returns the first negative integer less than or equal to number, whereas Fix returns the first negative integer greater than or equal to number. For example, Int converts -8.4 to -9, and Fix converts -8.4 to -8."

In Excel itself = INT(A1) is the same as VBA int but to remove the decimals from both positive and negative numbers you would use =TRUNC(A1) or =ROUNDDOWN(A1,0). Coincidentally fielded a question on this on the Mr Excel Forum just today.


2024-07-09 08:11:56

Kiwerry

Thanks for pointing that out, Alex.

It seems you meant "...the first integer less than..." rather than "...the first negative integer less than..."

The function you refer to as Fix is FIXED.

Can't read something without looking for "typos" after years of teaching...


2020-07-25 10:14:17

Alex B

The above only covers positive numbers. In the case of negative numbers it does not “truncate” the decimal point, it returns the first negative integer less than or equal to the number.
So while (positive) 18.73 returns 18
(negative) -18.73 returns -19
If you really want both to truncate the decimal, use the Fix function.


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.