÷Arithmetic · Division
Long Division Calculator one step at a time
Enter a dividend and a divisor to see the division worked digit by digit — Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring down — with the full working laid out the way your school writes it: US bracket, UK bus stop, Indian or European style. Stop at a remainder or keep going into decimals, with recurring digits spotted automatically.
- Free steps
- Graph
- Checked answers
Try it
Divide, multiply, subtract, bring down.
Play the method one move at a time on any division, keep going into decimals to see a recurring pattern appear, and switch between the US, UK, Indian and European layouts.
Set up
23 does not go into 7, so start with 74.
Step 1 of 13
Click the working and use ← → to step, Space to play or pause.
Why this long division calculator is different
01
Every digit, every move
Each quotient digit gets its own Divide → Multiply → Subtract → Bring down step, with an estimate from the rounded divisor and a times-table of the divisor — including the zeros that are so easy to forget.
02
Written your way
Switch between the US bracket, the UK bus stop with carried remainders, the Indian divisor ) dividend ( quotient layout and the European colon style.
03
Decimals and recurring digits
Decimal divisors are made whole first, the repeating remainder is spotted and the repeating block marked with a bar, and quotient × divisor + remainder is checked against the dividend.
What is a long division calculator?
A long division calculator works through a division the way you would on paper, one digit at a time: divide the current number by the divisor, multiply to see how much you have used, subtract to find what is left, and bring down the next digit. The digits written on top form the quotient; whatever is left at the end is the remainder.
The same method handles decimals. If the divisor is a decimal, multiply both numbers by 10, 100, … to make it whole. If you keep dividing past the decimal point, either the remainder becomes 0 (a terminating decimal) or a remainder repeats — and from then on the digits repeat too, which is why 1/7 = 0.142857 bar.
Long division is taught in upper primary school (Years 5–6 in the UK, Classes 4–6 in India, Grades 4–6 in US math) and returns as polynomial long division in algebra. Countries set it out differently, so the calculator shows the working in four common layouts — the maths is identical in all of them.
How to use the long division calculator
- 1Type the dividend (the number being divided) and the divisor. Whole numbers, decimals and negative numbers all work, and so do phrases such as “17 divided by 5 to 2 decimal places” or “23)7489”.
- 2Choose Remainder for an answer like 325 R 14, or Decimals to keep dividing after the decimal point, and set how many decimal places you want.
- 3Pick the layout you use at school — US, UK bus stop, India or Europe.
- 4Press Solve and read the steps: every quotient digit has its own Divide, Multiply, Subtract and Bring down sub-steps. The Table tab lists every cycle and the multiples of the divisor.
- 5Check the last step: quotient × divisor + remainder must give the dividend back. Then try a practice division.
The long division method: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down
Every cycle repeats the same four moves — remember them as DMSB — plus two rules for decimals and negatives:
Divide: estimate each quotient digit
Ask how many times the divisor fits into the current number. Rounding 23 to 20 gives a quick estimate; check it with the times table: 3 × 23 = 69 fits into 74, 4 × 23 = 92 does not.
Multiply and subtract
Multiply the new digit by the divisor and subtract. What is left must be smaller than the divisor — if it is not, the digit was too small.
Bring down the next digit
Write the next digit of the dividend beside the remainder and repeat. If the divisor does not fit, write 0 in the quotient and bring down again.
Check the quotient and remainder
For 7489 ÷ 23: 325 × 23 + 14 = 7475 + 14 = 7489.
Long division with decimals
Move the decimal point in both numbers until the divisor is whole — the answer does not change. Past the point, bring down zeros; a repeating remainder means a recurring decimal.
Negative numbers and remainders
Divide the sizes, then give the answer the sign rule’s sign. Number theory writes -17 = 5 × (-4) + 3 instead, keeping the remainder positive; the calculator shows both and the decimal.
Long division calculator worked example: 7489 ÷ 23
- 01
23 does not go into 7, so start with the first two digits, 74. Since 3 × 23 = 69, write 3 on top and subtract.
74 - 69 = 5 - 02
Bring down the 8 to make 58. Since 2 × 23 = 46, write 2 and subtract.
58 - 46 = 12 - 03
Bring down the 9 to make 129. Since 5 × 23 = 115, write 5 and subtract.
129 - 115 = 14 - 04
There are no digits left, so 14 is the remainder — smaller than 23, as it must be.
7489 ÷ 23 = 325 R 14 - 05
Check by multiplying back.
325 × 23 + 14 = 7475 + 14 = 7489 checkmark
Common long division mistakes
Skipping a zero in the quotient
In 6120 ÷ 6 the divisor does not go into 1, so a 0 must be written: the answer is 1020, not 102.
A remainder bigger than the divisor
If a subtraction leaves a number as big as the divisor, the quotient digit is too small — increase it by one and try again.
Misplacing the decimal point
Put the point in the quotient directly above the one in the dividend, and when the divisor is a decimal, move the point the same number of places in both numbers first.
Losing track of the columns
Each quotient digit goes above the last digit of the number you have just divided. Keeping digits lined up in columns prevents most errors.
Long division calculator FAQ
How do you do long division step by step?+
Start with the fewest leading digits of the dividend that the divisor fits into. Divide to get one quotient digit, multiply it by the divisor, subtract, then bring down the next digit and repeat. When no digits are left, what remains is the remainder. Each pass through Divide, Multiply, Subtract and Bring down gives exactly one digit of the answer.
How do I get a decimal answer instead of a remainder?+
Set Answer to Decimals, or type “as a decimal” or “to 3 decimal places”. The calculator writes the decimal point, brings down zeros and keeps going until the division ends, a remainder repeats, or it reaches the places you chose — then it rounds. In remainder mode the exact decimal is still listed under the answer.
What is the bus stop method?+
It is the UK name for short division. The dividend sits under a bracket that looks like a bus shelter, the quotient is written on the roof, and each remainder is carried as a small digit in front of the next digit instead of writing out the subtraction. Choose UK bus stop to see your division set out this way, with dots marking any recurring digits.
How do you divide by a decimal?+
Multiply both numbers by the same power of 10 so that the divisor becomes a whole number, then divide as usual. For 12.6 ÷ 0.3 move both decimal points one place: 126 ÷ 3 = 42. Because both numbers are scaled by the same amount, the answer does not change. The calculator shows this shift as its first step.
How can you tell when a decimal will recur?+
Watch the remainders after the decimal point. There are only as many possible remainders as the divisor, so either one becomes 0 and the decimal ends, or one repeats — and then the same digits follow for ever. For 22 ÷ 7 the remainder 1 returns after six digits, so 22 ÷ 7 = 3.142857 bar.
What is −17 ÷ 5 with a remainder?+
In school arithmetic you divide the sizes and give the answer a minus sign: -17 ÷ 5 = -(3 R 2), which means -32/5 = -3.4. In number theory the remainder must not be negative, so it is written -17 = 5 × (-4) + 3: quotient -4, remainder 3. Both describe the same number; the calculator shows both and explains the difference.
How do I check a long division answer?+
Multiply the quotient by the divisor and add the remainder; you should get the dividend back. For 7489 ÷ 23 = 325 R 14: 325 × 23 + 14 = 7489. The calculator does exactly this with whole-number arithmetic and re-divides independently before showing Verified.
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