It's not simple
.
#1 You can use a custom format to display a minus sign, with the understanding that the value is actually positive when you use it elsewhere
- Select the entire column you want it to be negative, by clicking on the column header.
- MAC users Hold down Command key and click in any cell(with selection), WINDOWS users right-click, then click
Format cells in the context menu.
- Click
Number tab, click Custom Option, on right-hand side, under Type text box select General, and in the Type text box, enter a minus sign like this: -General and click OK.

OR
_(* #,##0,_);[Red]_(* (#,##0,);_(* "-"_);_(@_)

Excel Custom Number Format Guide
https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/excel-custom-number-format-guide
I’ve put together this Excel custom number format guide as a resource for our members. There are loads of ways to apply custom number formats and as a result I find myself answering questions that are covered in this post on a daily basis.
To be clear, number formatting in Excel is used to specify how a value should appear in a cell or chart, but it doesn’t alter the underlying value that you can see in the formula bar. Unless of course you format a number as text, in which case it can no longer be treated as a number in math formulas.
#2 Use a Helper Column
- Set one column for data entry of positive value
- Set another column for negative values(this column/cell only have the
ABS formula as follows)
- IF
E1 must have negative value, then choose any column/cell of choice, let's say D1
- In
E1 type =-ABS(D1)
- Now, whatever value you type in cell
D1, the same value will be negative in cell E1
- Copy the formula you typed once to all cell ranges for example from
E1 to E50
- After finishing all, you can hide the
D column which contains D1 positive value.
#3 By Worksheet_Change Macro
This earlier question has a couple of macros you can use
https://www.mrexcel.com/board/threads/cell-format-always-negative.53229/