Percent Format Shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+%)
Select the cells, then press Ctrl+Shift+% on Windows or ⌃⇧% (Control+Shift+%) on the Mac to apply the Percentage number format in Excel — 0.25 shows as 25%.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply Percentage format | ⌃⇧% | Ctrl+Shift+% | |
| Apply General (remove) format | ⌃⇧~ | Ctrl+Shift+~ | |
| Open Format Cells dialog | ⌘1 | Ctrl+1 | |
| Increase decimal places | — | Alt+H+0 |
One keystroke to a percentage
Highlight the cells, then press Ctrl+Shift+% (Windows) / ⌃⇧% (Mac). Excel applies the Percentage format with no decimal places, so 0.25 displays as 25%. Note Excel multiplies the stored value by 100 for display — the underlying number stays 0.25.
Undo or fine-tune it
To strip the format back to plain numbers, use Ctrl+Shift+~ / ⌃⇧~ (General format). For control over decimals, open Format Cells with Ctrl+1 / ⌘1 and set the Percentage places there. The Mac uses the Control key (not Command) for these number-format shortcuts.
FAQ
What is the percent format shortcut in Excel?
Select the cells and press Ctrl+Shift+% on Windows or ⌃⇧% (Control+Shift+5) on the Mac.
Does it add decimal places?
No — the shortcut applies Percentage with zero decimals. Use Format Cells (Ctrl+1 / ⌘1) or Increase Decimal to add them.
Why is 0.25 shown as 25%?
Percentage format multiplies the displayed value by 100. The stored value is still 0.25.