In Excel: use =TRUNC(number) — it chops off the decimals without rounding at all, so 9.99 returns 9 and -9.99 returns -9.
On this page8
Syntax
Arguments
| Argument | required / optional | Description |
|---|---|---|
number | required | The value to truncate. |
num_digits | optional | Decimal places to keep. Defaults to 0, which removes the fractional part entirely. |
Related functions
Select the target cell and type =TRUNC(.
Select the number, date-time or calculation to truncate.
Optionally add a comma and the decimals to keep; omit it to strip the fraction entirely.
Press Enter. When truncating a date-time, format the result as a date so it reads properly.
Need it as an auditable file?
Ships inside the linked template — formula-driven, unlocked, audit-ready.
What this does
TRUNC removes digits rather than rounding them: it simply cuts the number at the requested precision and discards the rest. Because the cut is toward zero, negatives keep their integer part unchanged — TRUNC(-9.99) is -9, whereas INT(-9.99) is -10. That difference is the whole reason both functions exist. The second argument is optional and defaults to 0; supply 2 to keep cents without rounding them, or a negative value to strip digits to the left of the decimal point. It is the honest choice when a fractional part is meaningless rather than approximate — a partial day, a partial licence, a partial person. Keep the inputs visible and clearly labelled and the whole thing stays auditable — anyone who opens the file later, including you, can see at a glance exactly what feeds the result and change one assumption without hunting through the formula. The difference between a quick fix and a sheet you can trust is the extra minute you spend validating “trunc formula excel”. Start on a copy or a tiny sample, keep the affected formula visible, and compare the result with the tool above before you touch the real workbook. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. The point is a calculation you can defend to a CFO or an auditor, but the practical win is that someone else can open the file and understand what happened without asking you.
A worked example
Splitting a timestamp in A2 into its parts, =TRUNC(A2) returns the date with the time removed, because Excel stores the time as the fractional half of the number. Reporting complete years of service, =TRUNC(7.92) returns 7. Keeping two decimals without rounding a rate up, =TRUNC(0.16789, 2) returns 0.16. TRUNC is the right tool when a fraction is not a rounding question but noise to be discarded — dates hiding a time, whole units, complete periods. A practical tip before you scale it up: build it once on a small block of test data, confirm the number against the tool on this page, and only then point it at your real sheet. That one habit catches almost every mistake while it is still cheap to fix, long before a wrong figure reaches a report or a colleague.
In Google Sheets
If you are in Google Sheets rather than Excel, the good news is that the formula shown here is identical and the workflow barely changes — menus sit across the top instead of in a ribbon, and a few function names differ slightly, but anything you build here moves across with little or no rework. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. If you take one thing from this page on “trunc formula excel”, make it the habit rather than the keystrokes: set the problem up with labelled inputs, reference those cells, and let Excel do the recomputing. Bookmark the page for the syntax, but do the example once in a blank sheet and check it against the tool above — five minutes of hands-on practice fixes the method in memory far better than re-reading, and it surfaces the small snags while they are still harmless. After that the technique is genuinely yours: faster than searching for it again, and reliable enough to drop into work that other people depend on.
Common mistakes
- Assuming TRUNC and INT agree — they differ on every negative number with a fractional part.
- Truncating money in a model where the cents matter; TRUNC silently discards value rather than rounding it fairly.
- Using TRUNC to remove a time from a date and then leaving the cell in General format, which shows the date serial number instead of the date.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between TRUNC and INT?
They agree on positive numbers. On negatives, TRUNC cuts toward zero (-9.99 to -9) while INT goes to the next lower integer (-9.99 to -10).
How do I remove the time from a date?
=TRUNC(A2) keeps the whole-number date part and drops the fractional time. Format the result as a date afterwards.
Is TRUNC the same as ROUNDDOWN?
Functionally very close. The practical difference is that TRUNC's second argument is optional and ROUNDDOWN's is required.