# Format a number to 2 decimal places in JavaScript

By Atta Ur Rehman Shah (https://attacomsian.com/about). Published Nov 27, 2022. Topics: JavaScript.
Canonical URL: https://attacomsian.com/blog/javascript-format-numbers

> Learn how to use the Number.toFixed() method to format numbers to 2 decimal places in JavaScript.

You can use the `toFixed()` method to format a number to 2 decimal places in JavaScript. The `toFixed()` method takes a number as input, representing the number of digits to appear after the decimal point, and returns a formatted string representing the given number.

```javascript
const num1 = 12.865
const res1 = num1.toFixed(2)
console.log(res1) // 12.87

const num2 = 19
const res2 = num2.toFixed(2)
console.log(res2) // 19.00
```

In the above examples, we called the `toFixed()` method on the number, passing it `2` as a parameter to format the number to 2 decimal places.

The only parameter `toFixed()` takes is the number of digits to appear after the decimal point. The value must be between `0` and `100` inclusive. If this argument is skipped, it is treated as `0`. If you pass a value greater than `100`, a `RangeError` is thrown:

```javascript
const num1 = 17.8654553
const res1 = num1.toFixed()
console.log(res1) // 18

const num2 = 55.3469
const res2 = num2.toFixed(120)
console.log(res2)
// RangeError: toFixed() digits argument must be between 0 and 100
```

Using `toFixed()` with negative numbers may produce unexpected results. You need to group the negative number expression to get a formatted string:

```javascript
const res1 = -7.892.toFixed(2)
console.log(res1) // -7.89
console.log(typeof res1) // number --> ❌

const res2 = (-7.892).toFixed(2)
console.log(res2) // -7.89
console.log(typeof res2) // string -->  ✅
```

If the number is wrapped in a string, you need to [convert the string to a number](https://attacomsian.com/blog/convert-string-to-number-in-javascript#parsefloat-method) first before calling the `toFixed()` method:

```javascript
const str = '22.567'
const res = parseFloat(str).toFixed(2)
console.log(res) // 22.57
```