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Excel 97 Numbers aren't displayed or cal

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5 replies

by artecx

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I have a problem with numbers displayed as numeric values in Excel 97. After trying TRIM, or SUM(TRIM(A1)), VALUE(A1)and folloing the built in Excel solution I am asking for help.

Solution from Excel Help
Numbers aren't displayed or calculated as numeric values.

If the numbers are aligned to the left of the cell and if you have not changed the default alignment (General), the numbers are formatted or entered as text. To change the numbers to numeric data, do the following.

1 Selecta blank cell that you know has the General number format.

If you aren't sure of the cell format, click Cells on the Format menu, and then click the Number tab. In the Category box, click General, and then click OK.

2 In the cell, type 1 and then press ENTER.
3 Click the cell, and then click Copy .
4 Select the range of cells that contain the "text" numbers.
5 On the Edit menu, click Paste Special, click Multiply, and then click OK.

5 replies

by dklippert

The last suggestion works very well, as does value(). When you delete the entry and reenter a number, does it appear numeric?
If you want to send me the file, I'll be glad to look at it more closely.

by wordworker

Select the column or range of cells, go to Format | Cells | Number and choose General. Much easier than Paste Special approach.

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