Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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: Converting to Hexadecimal.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 24, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
If you do any programming, you know how important hexadecimal numbers are. Hexadecimal numbers are used to represent values that can be easily understood by both humans and programming languages. In the hexadecimal numbering system, each digit can vary between 0 and F. Thus, 0 through 9 are the same as in our decimal numbering system, and A through F are converted to 10 through 15 in decimal.
How can Excel help with hexadecimal numbers? It includes a worksheet function that allows you to easily convert a number from decimal to hexadecimal. For instance, let's say you have a decimal value in E3. If you wanted to know the hexadecimal equivalent, you would use the following:
=DEC2HEX(E3)
If the value in E3 was 123, the result of the above formula would be 7B. The DEC2HEX worksheet function can be used to convert any decimal values between -549,755,813,888 and 549,755,813,887.
Once the conversion is done, the value in the cell is considered text. This means that you cannot use the results of DEC2HEX in a numeric formula.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12384) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Converting to Hexadecimal.
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!
Need to figure out if a particular cell contains text? You can use the ISTEXT function to easily return this bit of trivia.
Discover MoreIf you need to know the number of columns in a particular range, you can use the COLUMNS worksheet function. This tip ...
Discover MoreThe SUMIF function is supposed to work just fine doing comparisons with text values. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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 © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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:
Comments