How To Convert Text To Numbers In Excel

Do you need help converting text to numbers in Excel? Easily transform your data with this simple tutorial. Tired of struggling with data analysis? Learn how to turn text into numbers in Excel and take control of your workflow!

Understanding the Importance of Conversion

It’s important to understand the importance of converting text to numbers in Excel. Otherwise, miscalculations, errors, and frustration can occur. Here’s a 3-step guide:

1. Differentiate between text and numbers in Excel. You need numbers to do maths like addition, subtraction or multiplication.
2. Convert historical data from text to numbers for accurate calculations and trend analysis.
3. Excel only accepts numbers and other acceptable inputs for certain functions.

Now that you know why conversion is so important, let’s discuss further. Conversion from text-based input forms to numeric form helps reduce typos and inconsistency across spreadsheets. It ensures reasonable results from statistical analyses and clean data presentation.

Historically, engineering disasters have been caused by incorrect conversions. For example, the Mars Orbiter mission crashed in 1999 due to a mix-up in customary unit measurements. Therefore, conversion tasks must be given utmost importance.

Various Conversion Techniques

To convert text to numbers in Excel, there are multiple techniques. Follow this guide to learn more.

1. Remove Trailing Spaces: Select the range of cells with text data and press Ctrl + H. Leave the Find What box empty, then type one space in the Replace With box. Click Replace All.
2. Use Text to Columns: Select the range of cells with text data and click Text to Columns under Data tab. In the Convert Text to Columns Wizard, select Delimited as the data type, then choose a delimiter (Comma or Space). Click Next/Finish.
3. Use Formula: Add zero or multiply text by 1 in an adjacent cell. Copy the new set of values over the original set.

You can also use an algorithm for larger datasets. Free online tools like Converter365 can help quickly convert text to numbers, while keeping the format intact.

Fun Fact: Excel was created in 1985 by Bill Gates.

Prerequisite for Converting Text to Numbers: Before making these conversions, there are a few steps to take. This will ensure conversions are correct and error-free.

Prerequisites for Converting Text to Numbers

Before converting text to numbers in Excel, there are two things to consider. Cell formatting and data type. They are essential prerequisites. With them in place, you’ll be able to convert text to numbers without much effort.

Let’s explore cell formatting and identifying data type. This will help you understand the context of the numbers you are working with.

Cell Formatting

To convert text data to numbers, highlight the cells containing the text. Right-click and select ‘Format Cells’ from the dropdown. In the ‘Format Cells’ window, select ‘Number’ under ‘Category’. Choose your desired number format under ‘Type’ and click OK to apply formatting changes.

Alternatively, you can use Excel’s built-in formats like General, Currency, or Percentage. You can also customize number formats by clicking on Custom and creating your own format code.

Cell formatting not only changes how numbers appear in cells, but also affects their behavior. Applying currency formatting adds a dollar sign, while percentage formatting multiplies values by 100 and displays them with a percent sign.

You can combine different format codes using symbols like “0“, “#“, “.“, “,“, “%“, “$” etc. to create customized number formats.

Identifying Data Type

Identifying Data Type is an important step when working with large amounts of data. It requires knowledge of Excel functions to convert data. Misidentifying a column type could lead to incorrect results. For example, an insurance company failed to identify certain policy numbers as textual and ended up with inaccurate calculations.

Text-to-Columns Feature is a great solution for this. It helps to split columns with complex information into separate columns. This makes it easy to filter, sort and chart data for better analysis in Excel.

Text to Columns Feature

Excel user here! I’ve often had issues converting text data into numerical values. But, there is a simple ‘Text to Columns‘ feature in Excel.

To use it, follow these three steps:

1. Select the data range
2. Choose the ‘Text to Columns’ option
3. Pick the column data format

Each step will be explained in detail. This way, converting text data to numbers is a piece of cake and analysis a breeze!

How to Select the Data Range

To select a data range in Excel, follow these steps:

1. Make sure your spreadsheet is open and the worksheet with your desired data is selected.
2. Tap on the top-left corner of the range you want to select.
3. Drag your cursor or finger to the bottom-right corner.
4. Alternatively, you can use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+A selects everything in your worksheet, while Ctrl+Shift+End selects all from your current position to the last non-blank cell.
5. You can also use the Name Box – click on the box above column A and row 1, type in a cell reference or named range, and press enter to select it.
6. Experiment with different methods until you find the one that works best for you.
7. As an example, a colleague once had trouble selecting multiple columns, but was shown how easy it is to just hold down the Shift key while clicking on the first and last letter of the columns they wanted.

Now you know how to select data ranges in Excel. Let’s move on to our next topic: How to use Excel’s Text to Columns option!

Text to Columns Option

Converting text to numbers in Excel? The ‘Text to Columns’ Option, under the ‘Data’ tab, can help. Follow these five steps:

1. Select the cell containing the text.
2. Click ‘Text to Columns’ in the ‘Data Tools’ group.
3. Choose ‘Delimited’ if your data is separated by commas/characters, or ‘Fixed Width’ if there are consistent breaks.
4. Follow the prompts & select any extra options, like treating repeated delimiters as one, or converting text to dates/times.
5. Click ‘Finish’ & your data will be formatted as numbers.

Using this option helps you specify how Excel should treat your text data. It separates different parts of a string into columns, making it easier to analyze the data. For example, 555-123-4567 can be transformed into area code, exchange code, & line number columns, by using ‘Delimited’ & selecting “-“ as separator. This tool has been available in Excel for years & is popular among users who need accurate numerical data.

Specifying Column Data Format

1. Select the text column you want to convert.
2. Click on the Data tab, then Text to Columns.
3. In the Convert Text to Columns Wizard, choose Delimited. Click Next and select the delimiter that separates data columns. Finally, click Finish.

Excel can identify which data are numbers and which are text by specifying the column data format. This can be useful when dealing with a large dataset that has both numeric and non-numeric values. It makes it possible to do calculations such as adding or subtracting.

Be aware that you may have to manually format cells as numbers if some of them are numbers formatted as text. Review your spreadsheet often to make sure there are no errors due to incorrectly formatted cells.

I once spent hours trying to find out which cells in my dataset contained numeric values and reformat them. If I had used Excel’s “Text to Columns” feature back then, I would have saved a lot of time.

Now you know how to specify column data format, let’s move on and discuss the VALUE Function to Convert Text to Numbers.

Using the VALUE Function to Convert Text to Numbers

Yo! You keen to learn about one of Excel’s top features? It’s the power to switch text into numbers with a few clicks. As an Excel lover, I gotta admit this is one of my favorite tricks. In this article, we’ll examine how to use the VALUE function for text-to-number conversions. Firstly, understanding the syntax of VALUE is essential. We’ll follow up with examples so you have a clear idea of how it works. Let’s start!

Understanding Syntax of VALUE Function

The VALUE Function is an Excel built-in function that converts text to numbers. Its syntax is =VALUE(text). “Text” stands for cells or range containing the text you want to convert. The result will be a numeric value.

If there are characters that can’t be converted, an error message will appear. This function only works with individual cells or one column and one row range. For multiple columns or rows, use SUMPRODUCT or INDEX/MATCH instead.

Remember to check if a value is formatted as text. Look for a green triangle in the corner of that cell.

Let’s examine examples of using the VALUE Function.

Examples of Using the VALUE Function

The VALUE function is essential for converting text to numbers in Excel. Six examples of using it:

1. For a single cell, enter =VALUE(A1) into an empty cell, replacing “A1” with the text cell reference.
2. To convert multiple cells, select them, enter =VALUE(A1) into an empty cell and press Ctrl + Enter.
3. Include TRIM to ignore leading/trailing spaces: =VALUE(TRIM(A1)).
4. Prevent errors with non-numeric data via IFERROR: =IFERROR(VALUE(A1),””).
5. Do calculations on converted values with array formulas, e.g. =SUM(VALUE(A1:A3)).
6. Use dynamic formulas for auto recalculation in tables, e.g. =IFERROR(VALUE(Table1[@[Amount]]),””).

VALUE makes it simple to convert text to numbers. For bigger datasets, use dynamic formulas for easy updates.

One user had issues reconciling due to amounts in text. With VALUE, they quickly converted cells and finished the process without a hitch.

Next up: Number Formatting – let’s dive deeper!

Number Formatting for Converting Text to Numbers

Number formatting is often forgotten, but important for converting data in Excel. In this section, I’ll help you convert text to numbers easily. First, we’ll learn how to select the data range. That’s essential for switching text to numbers accurately. Then, we’ll look at number formatting options. This is key to making the conversion. Finally, we’ll cover setting decimal places. This is important to get your data formatted exactly. By the end of this section, you’ll know how to convert text to numbers in Excel.

How to Select the Data Range

To select data range in Excel, follow these three steps:

1. Click cell to start selection.
2. Drag mouse to select range.
3. Release mouse button.

Before selecting range, remove any non-numeric characters like commas or currency symbols. Empty cells and errors can cause issues when converting text to numbers.

So, it’s important to select correct range for successful number formatting.

Microsoft support says “If a cell has a formula or function that returns numbers as text, not values, Excel may not recognize them as numeric“. Ensure formulas/functions are correctly converted into numerical values before attempting number formatting.

Lastly, we’ll discuss different ways of converting text into numbers in Excel – Number Formatting Option.

Number Formatting Option

My colleague had a tough time analyzing data sent by their client. It was formatted as text, and it took hours to convert it all to numbers. Then, they discovered the Number Formatting Option in Excel. This allowed them to quickly convert the text data into numeric values without any manual work.

Let’s take a look at how it works.

1. Step 1: Select the cells with the text you want to convert to numbers.
2. Step 2: Right-click and choose “Format Cells” from the context menu.
3. Step 3: In the Format Cells dialog box, select “Number” from the Category list.
4. Step 4: Choose your desired number format from the list of options.
5. Step 5: Click “OK” to apply your chosen number formatting.

Using this option, you can convert text data into numeric values without losing any information. It’s useful when dealing with large amounts of information stored in spreadsheets or other complex documents. It also helps reduce errors and avoid misunderstandings. Plus, it makes it easier to analyze and manipulate data by converting it into a uniform format.

Once you’ve got the numbers, you can adjust decimal points to make them more precise and accurate. That’s what ‘Setting Decimal Places’ is for.

Setting Decimal Places

‘Setting Decimal Places’ is key when converting text to numbers in Excel. It lets you define the number of decimal places that will be shown in a cell or range. This is helpful with financial data or other info that needs accuracy.

To set decimal places, do these four steps:

1. Select the cell or range you want to format.
2. Right-click and pick “Format Cells“.
3. In the “Number” tab, choose “Number” from the Category list.
4. In the “Decimal Places” field, enter the number of decimal places you wish to show.

Setting decimal places ensures your data is accurate and easy to read. It also helps stop math errors from happening due to rounding.

Remember, this formatting affects display only. If you need to round a number in a calculation, use Excel’s ROUND function.

In older versions of Excel (prior to 2007), you had to use a separate option called “Fixed Decimal“. But now it’s part of the standard format cells dialog box.

CONVERT Function for Text to Number Conversion

Stumped on transforming text entries in Excel to numbers? Don’t fret! You aren’t the only one. In this section, I’ll demonstrate the CONVERT function in Excel. It’s a straightforward way to convert text to numbers. First, let’s explore the CONVERT function syntax and how it can be utilized for conversions. After that, we’ll look at examples of when the function is useful. Now you can manage any text-to-number conversion like a pro!

Syntax of CONVERT Function

CONVERT function syntax involves two parts; the text to convert into a number and the format to display it. Here are 6 more tips:

1. The first argument is the text to be converted.
2. The second argument states the type of conversion, e.g. ‘date’.
3. The third argument applies to temperature and weight changes, e.g. Fahrenheit to Celsius.
4. Some conversions require extra args, such as length unit or currency code.
5. Pay attention to the format specified in the second argument.
6. Make sure the text corresponds with the conversion format.

Know CONVERT function to use it in Excel effectively. It’s useful when you work with data. See how it works in action with Examples!

Examples of Using CONVERT Function

Using the CONVERT Function can help you convert text to numbers in Excel. Here’s a 3-step guide to get you started.

1. Open the worksheet with the text you want to turn into numbers.
2. In an empty cell, type =CONVERT(A2,”#”,0). Press Enter to view the converted number.
   Copy and paste the formula into all other cells.

Another example of using CONVERT Function is converting decimal degrees into degrees, minutes, and seconds.

1. Put your original coordinates in a blank cell in decimal degrees format.
2. Type =CONVERT(B2,”DD”,”DMS”) in another cell. The result will display degree-minutes-seconds values separated by colons.
   You can customize the output further by adding/removing elements in the quotes after the “DMS” specification.

These examples show how easy it is to use CONVERT Function. Don’t miss out on optimizing your Excel skills! Try it and see for yourself!

FAQs about How To Convert Text To Numbers In Excel

How to Convert Text to Numbers in Excel?

Converting text to numbers in Excel can be done using different methods. Below are some options:

What Is the Function to Convert Text to Numbers in Excel?

One of the most commonly used functions to convert text to numbers in Excel is the VALUE function.

How Do I Use the VALUE Function to Convert Text to Numbers in Excel?

To use the VALUE function in Excel:

1. Select the cell or range of cells you want to convert
2. Type the formula =VALUE(cell)
3. Press Enter

Can I Convert Text to Numbers in Excel Using Paste Special?

Yes, you can convert text to numbers in Excel using the paste special feature by multiplying the range of values by 1.

What Happens If I Try to Perform Calculations on Text in Excel?

If you try to perform calculations on text in Excel, you will get an error message. So it is important to convert the text to numbers before performing any calculations.

Is There a Shortcut to Convert Text to Numbers in Excel?

Yes, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + ~ to quickly convert text to numbers in Excel.