Here you can see Excel inherits the regional settings by default. Excel settingsĮxcel has its own list settings at Options > Advanced > Use System separators Regional settings for list separatorĬontrol Panel > Region & Language > Additional settings > Change date, time, or number formats > additional settingsĪgain, we recommend that you leave this setting alone and just use the system separator already defined to enter new formulas.

In general, the best solution is to just change the formula to use the list separator used in your region. This is an especially common problem if you are in another region and copy and paste an example formula from a US website. Notice nothing in this dialog says anything about list separators :) If you try to enter a formula with the wrong list separator, you'll get an error that says 'There's a problem with this formula', and a dialog something like this: Likewise, if you change the list separator while a worksheet is open, Excel will change the separator used in formulas in that worksheet.

If you open a worksheet created in the United States, Excel will automatically (and silently) change commas to semicolons as the file is opened. Note: Excel automatically translates the separator in many cases.

How to change language in excel