Converting Excel to pdf - separator periods in numbers change to commas

[Theresa5E2C]

Hello there, 

when I convert an Excel spreadsheet to a PDF, the PDF displays all thousand separators as commas. Can this be changed?

Number like this: 10.350
are changed into this: 10,350
Thanks for any tips!

[Amal.]

Hi there,

Hope you're doing well and sorry for the trouble.

It appears that the issue you’re experiencing is related to regional or locale settings used during the conversion process. When Excel exports to PDF, it typically follows the system’s number format, so if your computer’s region is set to one that uses commas as thousand separators, that formatting will appear in the PDF as well.

Here are a few things you can try:

1. Check Excel’s regional settings:

• In Excel, go to File › Options › Advanced.
• Scroll down to the Editing options section and uncheck “Use system separators.”
• You can then set your Decimal separator and Thousands separator manually (for example, . for decimal and leave the thousands separator blank if you don’t want one).
• Save the file and re-export to PDF.

2. Check your system’s regional format:

• On Windows: Go to Settings › Time & Language › Language & Region, and make sure your region uses the correct number formatting style.
• On macOS: Go to System Settings › Language & Region › Formats.
• Export from Excel to PDF using Adobe PDF printer (if available):

Sometimes using Save as Adobe PDF (instead of Excel’s built-in export) can better preserve the formatting you set in Excel. For more information about creating PDFs please check the help page https://adobe.ly/43zmcrj 

~Amal

[Theresa5E2C]

Hello Amal,
Thank you for your help.
I have already checked all of this, and it is set correctly.
Since I use a Mac, I also checked the regional format in the settings, and it is set correctly—especially the number format.

None of this changes the result in the PDF.

It works when exporting from Excel. But this PDF does not display the tables very nicely.

[Amal. · Accepted solution]

Hi there

Thanks for sharing the details. Have you tried to  Save as Adobe PDF (instead of Excel’s built-in export) can better preserve the formatting you set in Excel. For more information about creating PDFs please check the help page https://adobe.ly/43zmcrj as suggested earlier.

~Amal