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This wikiHow teaches you how to create a currency conversion calculator using Microsoft Excel. If you have Microsoft 365, you can use the Currencies data type to create a currency converter that is accurate and stays up-to-date. Otherwise, you can manually create a currency converter by inputting the conversion rate yourself. Keep reading to learn more.
Making an Excel Currency Converter: Quick Overview
If you have Microsoft 365, type the currency code into a cell (i.e., USD/EUR), and apply the Currencies > Price data type to get the conversion rate. Then, write a formula to multiply a value by that cell. Otherwise, look up the conversion rate, then write a formula to multiply a value by the conversion rate.
Steps
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Click into any cell on your document. If you're using Microsoft 365, you have access to the Currencies data type, which makes converting currencies in Excel easy, plus the resulting conversions are accurate and up-to-date. -
Type the ISO currency codes of the currencies separated by a slash. For example, if you want to convert from the United States Dollar (USD) to the Euro (EUR), you'd type USD/EUR.- If you aren't sure what the ISO code for your currency is, you can find it here (in the "Code" column).
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Click the Data tab at the top of the screen. Make sure the cell you just typed the currency codes into is selected. -
Click Currencies in the "Data Types" panel. It's near the middle of the menu at the top of your screen, and the icon has an image of a dollar bill and some coins. -
Click Price in the pop-up that appears next to your cell. You'll see an icon of a bank appear next to the currency codes you input, and the current exchange rate will appear in the cell next to the one with the codes.- For example, if you typed "USD/EUR," the cell will show how much 1 dollar is in Euros.
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Create two columns somewhere else in your document. Title one column the first currency, and the second column the other currency. In this example, one column should say USD and the other should say EUR. -
Add the values for your first currency. In the cells under the header for the first currency, add the values you want to convert. -
Click the first cell under the second currency heading. In the example, you'd click the first cell under the cell that says "EUR." -
Write a formula to calculate the currency conversion. The formula is as follows: =[selected cell] * [cell with conversion rate]. Replace [selected cell] with the name of the cell you're currently typing in, and replace [cell with conversion rate] with the name of the cell that has the conversion rate (that was created in step 5).- For example, if the selected cell is B4 and the cell with the conversion rate is B1 (because you did step 1 in cell A1), the formula would be =B4 * B1.
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Type the formula for each value you have under the first currency column. Unfortunately, you can't drag the formula to more cells with the handle, because the conversion rate cell is a constant.[1]
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Look up your current conversion rate. Open a web browser and type currency converter into the address bar, then select the currencies you want to compare in the drop-down boxes at the top of the search engine's results. This will give you the current conversion rate.- For example, if you wanted to see the conversion rate for euros to US dollars, you would select Euros for the top box and Dollars for the bottom box.
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Open Microsoft Excel and click Blank workbook. You'll find this option in the upper-left side of the window.- On Mac, click the New tab and then click Blank Workbook.
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Create a chart with your currency conversion information. To do so:- Type the first currency's name into A1 (e.g., "Dollars").
- Type the first currency's value into B1. This value should be "1".
- Type the second currency's name into A2 (e.g., "Euros").
- Type the conversion rate into B2.
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Type your starting currency's name into D1. For example, if you're converting dollars to euros, you would type "Dollars" into the D1 cell. -
Type the currency values you wish to convert into the "D" column. For example, if you have ten dollar amounts that you want to convert to euros, you would enter each dollar value in a cell from D2 through D11. -
Type the conversion currency's name into E1. To use the previous example, you might type "Euros" here. -
Click E2, then type in =$B$2*D2 and press ↵ Enter. This will display the converted equivalent of your starting currency in cell E2, which is directly to the right of the starting currency equivalent. -
Apply the formula to the rest of the second currency's column. Click E2 again to select it, then double-click the little green square that appears in the bottom-right corner of the E2 cell. Your second currency column will fill up with conversions of the currency values from the starting currency column.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
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Currency rate changes all the time, so make sure you confirm the current currency rates before assembling a manual calculator. Failing to update your currency converter's conversion values will result in inaccurate data.Thanks
References
About This Article
1. Install KuTools for Excel.
2. Open a blank workbook in Excel.
3. Enter the values to convert in column A.
4. Copy the data into column B.
5. Select the data in column B.
6. Click KuTools and select Currency Conversion.
7. Click Update rate.
8. Select your currencies and click Ok.
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