Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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 the INT Worksheet Function.
There are many times that you simply need to work with whole numbers. Excel provides a handy function, INT, for just such times. This function takes a single argument and returns the integer value of that argument. For instance, consider the following:
=INT(12.34)
Using this formula, Excel returns a value of 12. You should be aware that INT always returns the next lower whole integer. This only seems odd when dealing with negative numbers. For instance, consider the following:
=INT(-43.21)
You may be tempted to believe that Excel would return a value of -43, but this would be wrong. When following the rule of always returning the next lower whole integer, Excel would return -44, which is the next integer lower than -43.21.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11762) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Using the INT Worksheet Function.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
Need to figure out if a particular cell contains text? You can use the ISTEXT function to easily return this bit of trivia.
Discover MoreThe IF worksheet function is very handy to make conditional evaluations. You are not limited to a single IF comparison, ...
Discover MoreExcel provides a handy worksheet function that allows you to forecast values based upon a set of known values. This ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-09-12 00:41:12
Roy
Thanks @Willy Vanhaelen: I knew TRUNC(), of course, but did NOT know that you could leave it with just a cell reference (or value I suppose) instead of using the second parameter (so TRUNC(-43.21,0) and TRUNC(-43.21) are the same).nnI likes me little details like that, so yay!nnBut definitely yes, if you really want an integer, TRUNC() is the only way to go as ALL the other usual rounding methods have defects when used for the task.
2021-09-11 05:47:23
Willy Vanhaelen
If you want to simply cut the decimals from a negative integer you can use the TRUNC Function:nn=INT(-43.21) -> -44n=TRUNC(-43.21) -> -43
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: 
Comments