Percentage change in Excel starts with one simple idea: subtract the old value from the new value, then divide by the old value. Excel shows that result as a decimal first, so the last move is formatting it as a percentage. Here is how to calculate percentage change in Excel with formulas, tables, PivotTables, mobile apps, and Excel's built-in help tools.
Start with the standard formula
Click a blank cell where you want the percentage change to appear.
Type =(new-old)/old, replacing new with the later value and old with the starting value.
For an increase from 2342 to 2500, type =(2500-2342)/2342.
For a decrease from 2500 to 2425, type =(2425-2500)/2500.
Press Enter on Windows or Return on Mac.
Select the result cell, then choose Home and Percent Style.
Use Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal on Home when you want more or fewer digits after the percent sign.
Use the shorter old and new cell formula
This version fits best when your old value and new value are already in two cells. It gives the same percentage-change result with less typing.
Put the original value in A2 and the new value in B2, or use the cells already in your worksheet.
Click the result cell and enter =B2/A2-1.
Press Enter or Return.
Apply Home and Percent Style, or press Ctrl+Shift+% on a supported desktop keyboard.
Format decimals as percentages
Use these controls when your formula result looks like 0.067 instead of 6.7%.
Select the cell or range that contains the calculated result.
Go to Home, then choose Percent Style in the Number group.
For more control in Excel for Windows, choose the button next to Number to open Format Cells.
On Mac, open the Number Format menu next to General, choose More Number Formats..., then select Percentage.
Set Decimal places, then choose OK.
Copy the formula down your worksheet
Enter the percentage-change formula in the first row of your results column.
Select that result cell.
Rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the cell until it turns into a plus sign.
Drag the fill handle down, up, or across the cells you want to fill, then release it.
In Windows desktop Excel, turn the fill handle on from File, Options, Advanced, Editing Options, and Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop.
Build it into an Excel table
Choose this method when your worksheet is a running list and new rows will be added later. Excel tables fill one formula through the whole column and extend it to new rows.
Format the data as an Excel table, with one column for the old value and one for the new value.
In a new table column, enter =([@[New]]-[@[Old]])/[@[Old]], using your actual table column names.
Press Enter.
Excel fills the formula into the rest of the column. Excel for the web creates a calculated column when you enter the same kind of formula in a table column there.
Calculate it on Excel for mobile
The percentage-change formula does not change on a phone or tablet. Use =(new-old)/old or a cell-reference version such as =B2/A2-1.
On an Android phone, tap a blank cell or double-tap a cell, tap the formula bar, type the formula, and tap the check mark.
On iPad, tap a blank cell, then double-tap the cell or tap in the formula bar. Type the formula and confirm the entry.
If mobile entry does not work cleanly, enter the formula in a blank result cell first, then format the result with Excel's percentage-format controls.
Show percentage change in a PivotTable
When your numbers are already summarized in a PivotTable, use the built-in percentage comparison instead of adding worksheet formulas beside the report. Select a field in the Values area, open PivotTable Analyze, choose Active Field, then open Field Settings.
You can also right-click a value in the PivotTable and open Value Field Settings. On the Show Values As tab, choose % Difference From, then pick the Base field and Base item.
Open Number Format, choose a percentage format, and confirm with OK. For custom PivotTable logic, use Analyze, Fields, Items, & Sets, and Calculated Field, then enter a formula such as =(New-Old)/Old; calculated fields and calculated items cannot be created for OLAP PivotTables.
Ask Excel for help when formulas are not enough
Use Excel's assisted tools when you want a suggested formula, visual, table, chart, or PivotTable from clean tabular data.
Select a clean tabular data range when you want Analyze Data to answer a question from your sheet.
Go to Home, choose Analyze Data, then ask a question such as What is the percentage change from 2025 sales to 2026 sales by product? Analyze Data requires an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription and runs in English, French, Spanish, German, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese; natural language queries are rolling out gradually and may not be available in every country or region yet.
Review the visual, table, chart, or PivotTable that Excel returns, then insert it when it matches what you need.
For Copilot, select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel and ask for a formula such as Calculate the percentage increase from cell A1 to cell B1.
Review and edit the formula Copilot creates before relying on it. The Copilot icon appears only when your license and your organization's settings allow it.
Fix percentage results that do not update
The first calculation setting to check is manual workbook calculation.
In Windows desktop Excel, open File, Options, Formulas, then set Workbook Calculation to Automatic under Calculation options.
Another path is the ribbon: open Formulas, choose Calculation Options, and select Automatic.
For a one-time recalculation, press F9 or Shift+F9. On Windows you can also press Ctrl+Alt+F9 or Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F9; on Mac, use Ctrl+Option+F9 or Ctrl+Option+Shift+F9.
In Excel for the web, open Formulas and Calculation Options, then choose Automatic or use Calculate Workbook for the current workbook in the browser. Desktop calculation changes affect all open workbooks.
If percentages look strange only when you type percent inputs into cells already formatted as percentages, open File, Options, Advanced, Editing options, and check Enable automatic percent entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest percentage change formula in Excel?
Use =(new-old)/old. If the old value is in A2 and the new value is in B2, use =B2/A2-1 and format the result with Percent Style.
How do I calculate a percentage decrease?
Put the later value first and the starting value second. For a drop from 2500 to 2425, enter =(2425-2500)/2500, then format the result as a percentage.
Why does Excel show 0.08 instead of 8%?
The formula result is still a decimal. Select the cell and use Home > Percent Style, or press Ctrl+Shift+% on a supported desktop keyboard.
Can Copilot calculate percentage change for me?
Copilot can suggest a formula or add a formula column in supported Excel versions. Review, edit, and verify the formula before relying on it. Copilot availability depends on license and tenant configuration.
