By: Shamima Sultana

In reply to Jens.

Hello Jens,

You are most welcome. Thanks for your appreciation. It is a great question, and you’re spot on about shortening the format.

To get 25.500 → “25,5 k” but 25.000 → “25 k” (i.e., no trailing “,0”), use an optional decimal place:

If your Excel uses comma for decimals and dot for thousands (most European settings):
[>=1000]#.##0,#” k”;0

If your Excel uses dot for decimals and comma for thousands (US/UK settings):
[>=1000]#,##0.#” k”;0

Why this works:
1. The , (or . in EU) before the ” k” divides by 1,000, so you’re showing thousands.
2. The # after the decimal makes the decimal optional—it only appears when needed (e.g., 25,5), so 25,0 won’t show.
3. ” k” prints a literal, lower-case k.

Extras: If you also want “M” for millions with the same “optional decimal” behavior:

EU: [>=1000000]#.##0,#” M”;[>=1000]#.##0,#” k”;0

US/UK: [>=1000000]#,##0.#” M”;[>=1000]#,##0.#” k”;0

Make sure Use system separators is enabled (File → Options → Advanced) so Excel respects your regional decimal/thousands characters.

Regards,
ExcelDemy