Align Dollar Sign to the Left in Excel

A dataset that has the dollar sign closely attached to the currency values does not look visually appealing. This is so especially if the values in the dataset have varying lengths like in the example dataset below:

Example

This tutorial will show you 2 techniques for aligning the dollar sign to the left in Excel so that the dataset looks neat like the one below:

How to Align the Dollar Sign to the Left in Excel

Method 1: Use a Custom Number Format

In this method, we use a custom number format to align the dollar sign to the left in our example dataset.

Suppose we have the following dataset that has the dollar sign closely attached to the currency values.

We want to align the dollar sign to the left edge of the cells in column B using a custom number format.

We use the following steps:

1. Select range B2:B6.

2. Open the Format Cells dialog box using any of the following techniques:

Press Ctrl + 1

Or

Right-click the selected range and choose Format Cells on the shortcut menu.

Or

In the Home tab, click the Number Format dialog box launcher in the Number group.

3. In the Format Cells dialog box, in the Number tab, select Custom in the Category list box.

4. Delete whatever is in the Type text box and type in the following custom number format:

_($* #,##0.00_);_($* (#,##0.00);_($* “”-“”??_);_(@_)

5. Click the OK button.

The dollar sign is neatly aligned to the left of the currency values.

Method 2: Use the Accounting Number Format

The Accounting number format automatically aligns the currency symbol to the left of the cell. We use this format to align the dollar sign to the left of the following example dataset:

We use the steps below:

1. Select range B2:B6.

2. Apply the Accounting number format to the selected range using any of the following techniques:

Press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box, select Accounting in the Category list box, and click OK.

Or

In the Home tab, in the Number group, select Accounting from the Number Format drop-down list.

The dollar sign is aligned to the left of the currency values.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have looked at 2 methods of aligning the dollar sign to the left in Excel. We can use a custom number format or use the Accounting number format. You can use the technique that you are most comfortable with.