Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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: Using Slashed Zeroes.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 21, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016
For some printouts it may be beneficial to use a zero with a slash through it rather than the standard zero without a slash. There are several ways you can go about using the slashed zeroes. The first is to insert the Alt+0216 symbol, which is a capital O with a slash through it. There are two problems with this approach, however. First is that the symbol is just a bit wider than a regular zero, so it may look a bit funny. The second (and more serious) problem is that the symbol is not viewed as a number by Excel, so you can't use the values that include this symbol in your calculations.
A better solution is to simply change to a different font that uses a slashed zero in place of the regular zero. There are a number of such fonts that may already be installed on your system. Good candidates are the Terminal, WST_Engl, Fixedsys, Consolas, or Sydnie fonts. You'll need to experiment with whatever font you select; it may not be available in all the font sizes you expect.
If you cannot locate a suitable font on your own system, there are a number of free fonts available on the web. These are two places from which you can start your search:
http://thfonts.com/proggy-clean-slashed-zero http://www.wm8c.com/slashed_zero_fonts.htm
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11633) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Using Slashed Zeroes.
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2022-08-11 13:47:59
Gary
Thank you for the Slashed Zero tip. I had been creating an image and using Paint to slash the zero.
Gary
S. Florida
2021-09-21 12:21:38
Mark
I clearly have the Terminal font in my system, but it's not available from the Excel menu?!
2017-08-28 14:52:36
David Gray
Since about 2005, my preferred fixed with font has been Consolas, but I had never noticed that its zeroes were slashed. I'll have to take a closer look the next time I have a chance.
2017-08-27 09:34:32
Philip
Erik, it's not the symbol for diameter (because that would have to be a perfect circle with a slash through it). It's a character from the scandinavian alphabet ...
2017-08-26 16:38:24
Erik
Alt+0216 (Ø) is actually the symbol for diameter. The slash sticks out both sides of the circle, whereas it doesn't on the number zero.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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:
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