Excel: replace comma with period - how it works

For some Excel documents, there may be a requirement that you have to replace commas with a period, for example, so that the program can process decimal numbers correctly. We show you how to do this in this CHIP practical tip.

Use period instead of comma as separator under Excel

These instructions refer to Microsoft Excel 2010.

1. Start "Excel" and click on the Office icon or on the "File" button at the top left.
2. From here, switch to the "Options".
3. On the left side you will find the item "Advanced".
4. Under the "Editing options" click a little further down on the entry "Use delimiter from operating system".
5. Remove the check from the check box to deactivate the option.
6. You can then replace both the decimal and the thousands separator with a period.
7. With a click on "OK" you accept the new settings.