Frequently asked questions - Calc
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How to enter a percentage value into a cell
Problem
When I type a value like 19,6% into a cell , a space is automatically inserted just before the % character. When I validate, the text aligns to the left, indicating that the content of the cell is considered as text and not a numeric value. The cell is therefore not usable for calculations.
Explanation
The option, selected from the menu  ▸  ▸ , entitled Add non-breaking space before specific punctuation marks in French text, allows you to insert a non-breaking space in front of double punctuation marks such as (:;?!%), as required by French typographical rules.  règles typographiques française.
Workarounds
Some possible ways of working around this are:
- preformat the cell with the format percentage ; the symbol 
%will be automatically inserted without a space after entry- either by applying a style
 - or by using the format menu (or the context menu)
 - or directly with the key combination Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + 5
 - or simply by clicking on the Format tool in the Formatting toolbar
 
 

- deactivate the function. The consequence is that this functionality will be deactivated in all modules (Writer, Impress...)
 - delete the space inserted automatically :
- either a posteriori by editing the content of the cell
 - or immediately after entering the character 
%using Ctrl + Z 
 - force the recognition of a numeric value
- begin cell content with an = sign
 - begin cell content with a + sign (it doesn't matter if the value is negative)
 
 - modify the language to one for which this option is not active. For example in Canadian French, the non-breaking space is only inserted before the 
:character.- In the Styles sidebar deck, right-click on Default ▸
 - Font tab
 - modify the language (money values will not be affected as they are defined by ▸ ▸ ▸ , Default currency)