How to Store Number as Text in Excel

Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet software that allows you to store and manipulate data in many different ways. One of the basic needs of any Excel user is to store numbers as text. This may seem like a simple task, but it can quickly become frustrating if you don’t know the correct method. In this blog post, we will discuss how to store numbers as text in Excel, including methods to ensure your data is correctly formatted and easy to read. By the end of this post, you should have the knowledge and confidence to handle numerical data in Excel with ease.

Introduction

Whether you’re new to Excel or an experienced user, storing numbers as text can be a challenging task. Storing numbers as text requires you to format cells so that they display numbers as text regardless of their formatting. This article will cover the basics of how to store numbers as text in Excel.

Method 1: Use the apostrophe symbol

The first and simplest method to store number as text in Excel is to add an apostrophe symbol before the number you’re entering. For example, if you want to enter ‘01234’ as text, you would enter it as ‘01234. This will ensure that Excel will not treat this value as a number and will store it as text instead.

Method 2: Use the Text function

The second method of storing numbers as text is by using the TEXT function. This function is an easy way to convert numbers to text without compromising the data. To use this method:

Step 1:

Enter your data in an Excel cell like you would normally do.

Step 2:

Select a blank cell and type =Text(cell, “format_text”) and press Enter.

Step 3:

Once you have done this, the number will be converted to text, and you can use it for other purposes.

For example, =Text(A1,”0″) will return the same number entered in cell A1 in text format. Similarly, =Text(A1,”$#,##0.00″) will return the same number in currency format with a dollar sign.

Method 3: Use the Format Cells dialog box

The third method is by using the Format Cells dialog box. To use this method:

Step 1:

Select the cell that you want to format.

Step 2:

Right-click on the cell and select Format Cells from the context menu.

Step 3:

In the Format Cells dialog box, select the Number tab, and then select the Text option.

Step 4:

Click OK to save your changes. Now, any value you enter in the cell will be stored as text.

Storing number as text in Excel is usually needed when you’re working with IDs, codes, or phone numbers, where leading zeros play a critical role. With any of the methods discussed above, you can quickly store numbers as text in Excel without any hassle and move one step closer to completing your data analytics project!

Formatting Text as Numbers

Once you have stored numbers as text in Excel, you may need to convert the values back to numbers if you want to use them in calculations. To do this, you can use the VALUE function, which converts a text value to a number.

You can also use the Paste Special feature in Excel to convert text values to numbers. To do this:

Step 1:

Select the range of cells that contain the text values you want to convert to numbers.

Step 2:

Right-click on the selection and click Copy.

Step 3:

Right-click on an empty cell, and click Paste Special. Select the Add option, and click OK.

This action will convert all the text values in the selected range to numbers.

Dealing with Leading Zeros

As mentioned before, leading zeros often play a crucial role in many text-based data, such as IDs and codes. However, sometimes Excel may automatically remove leading zeros, which can cause issues. If you’re facing this issue, you can use the following methods to fix it:

Method 1: Format Cells as Text before Entering Data

If you know that your data contains leading zeros, you can format the cells as text before you enter the data. To do this:

Step 1:

Select the range of cells that you want to format.

Step 2:

Right-click on the selection and select Format Cells.

Step 3:

In the Format Cells dialog box, select Text from the Category list, and click OK.

This will format the cells as text, allowing Excel to accept leading zeros without removing them.

Method 2: Use an Apostrophe Before the Number

You can also add an apostrophe before the number to force Excel to treat it as text. For example, if you want to enter the text value ‘00123’ in a cell, type ‘00123 into the cell, and it will retain the leading zeros.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, storing numbers as text in Excel is a crucial task when working with text-based data. By following the methods discussed in this article, you can store numbers as text in Excel without any issues and convert them back to numbers when necessary. You can also solve the problem of leading zeros being removed in Excel by using the methods mentioned above.

FAQs

Here are the most commonly asked questions related to storing numbers as text in Excel:

Q: What is the difference between storing numbers as text and numbers in Excel?

A: When you store numbers as text in Excel, you can add leading zeros to numbers, which can be helpful in some data sets. Storing numbers normally, however, will allow you to perform calculations and sort the data easier.

Q: What is the purpose of using the TEXT function in Excel?

A: The TEXT function is used to format text and numbers in Excel. This function can be beneficial when you want to store numbers as text while maintaining a specific format.

Q: Can I change the formatting of numbers stored as text in Excel?

A: Yes, you can! To change the formatting of the numbers stored as text in Excel, you need to convert them back to numbers. You can use the VALUE function or the Paste Special feature to convert them into numbers, and then change the formatting of the cells as desired.

Q: How can I stop Excel from deleting leading zeros?

A: Excel automatically removes leading zeros when you enter them in a cell formatted as a number. To prevent this from happening, you need to format the cell as text or add an apostrophe before the number.

Q: Can I format cells in bulk to store numbers as text?

A: Yes, you can format cells in bulk to store numbers as text in Excel. To do this, select the cells you want to format, right-click, and then select Format Cells. In the resulting dialog box, select the Text option, and click OK. All the selected cells will now store numbers as text.