Comments on: How to convert numbers to text using Excel TEXT function and other options

This tutorial shows how to convert number to text in Excel 2016 - 2010. See how to accomplish the task with the Excel TEXT function and use number to string to specify the formatting. Learn how to change number format to text with the Format Cells… and Text to Columns options. Continue reading →

Comments page 3. Total comments: 169

  1. Excellent Post with multiple options. Thanks a lot, it resolved my problem.

  2. I know this may sound crazy but is there a way to when I type in a number (for example, 6120) it changes to a word like necklace. I want to be able to type in a number of an inventory item and the next column it gives the name of that number. They will not always be in the same order, so it is possible? I have searched and searched the internet to see if it is even possible.

  3. This is a very helpful article. The helper column + =TEXT formula + value paste is exactly what I've been looking for and this was an instant bookmark. Thanks!

  4. Easiest way to convert 81039 dirhams.
    please.

  5. How to convert number to text as
    50 :: Five zero
    100 :: One Zero Zero

  6. the 2nd option, changing the column to text *should* work, but idiot Excel has NEVER supported this, and continues to not support it. Example, put 1223123123 in the cell, format as text, and you will see the same reuslt: 1.22312E13 (Ok, I didn't count the digits, but EVERYONE LOVES Scientific notation, so much so that there is NOT freaking way to just select the column and say 'leave it the heck alone shit-for-brain's Microsoft' - been fighting this for decades now.

    Your other options, making a column to convert the 'SKU' number that is 12 digits long to a Text might just work, I'll have to try that. I've in the past had to add a ' to the start of every dang line, and when there are 12,000 lines and all you freaking want to do is tell Excel to leave the dang thing Freaking ALONE, don't script leading 0's and are you kidding me with converting it to Scientific notation??

  7. i need a excel code for spell number in digt format like.. 1 as one only, 10 as one zero, 0 as zero only..

  8. Thank you so much.... great shortcut to convert Numbers to text...

  9. Hi,
    I want to convert number to word, when I enter a value it doesn't work and the following line of the VB program gets highlighted:
    Cents = GetTens(Left(Mid(MyNumber, DecimalPlace + 1) & _ "00", 2))
    Please tell me what can I do to make it work?
    Thank you.

  10. Thank you, this was very useful
    Save me a lot of time

  11. Awesome very helpful

  12. hi can you please help ma that how can i change 11/1/1950 into 11-50

    1. For e.g.: in cell A1 - 11/1/1950
      =TEXT(A1,"dd-yy")
      Ans: 11-50

  13. Hi,

    want to add 20 numbers in A2(20numbers) & A3(20numbers) column and show the
    result in A4

    the result is accepting upto 15 numbers and remaining 5 numbers are displaying as 00000.

    Thanks in Advance

  14. Hi, need vba code for converting number to words ,have used spellnumber but I want the text only for number not for currency i.e 225 ( two hundred twenty five)please share with me

  15. The last way: "Convert numbers to text in Excel with Text to Columns wizard" -- is the best!!!
    Additionally, it can work in reverse and in other ways!!! Superb!!!
    Congrats!!! & Thx a lot!!! Artur

    1. Best solution for this problem!!! AWESOME. Thank you!

    2. Thank you very much for your feedback, Artur! Glad to hear you enjoy using our add-in :)

  16. How would you make a spreadsheet read a letter to a number as in if I type in just the letter x in a cell it would automatically change it to -40?

    1. Tibor:
      You would use an IF THEN statement which would look like this:
      =IF(A2="X",-40,"Something Else")
      Which means If the value in A2 is x, then display -40 otherwise display something else.
      The details on how these statements work and examples can be found here on AbleBits.

      1. Thank you Doug,

        I see what you are saying but how can I convert any cell in column A to equal -40 when typing in x? What you described does change it but only for that one cell where the formula is entered

        1. Tibor:
          You can copy the formula down the column. The A2 address will change automatically as you copy it down the column.
          Highlight the cell then click and grab the little black box in the lower right-hand corner of the cell and drag it down the column.

  17. You have save me from going bonkers! So many people do not export the numbers as text but I do and to convert to a number is such a challenge in a large file.

    The text to column wizard is perfect!

    Thank you thank you thank you

  18. I'm trying to link a cell that has a name in it to another sheet. The cell is actually words, not numbers, but I get either the formula or the number zero as if the cell is reading a formula instead of the words.

    I've tried your solutions to convert numbers to text and it did not give me the name, only 0 or the formula.

    Can you help?

    1. first select the cell where you want to get the copied name type = and traverse to the sheet where the name is already present, click on that cell and press ENTER. drag the cell to get other names

  19. Glad I happened upon this Text to Columns solution to this issue! As a Microsoft Partner, please convey to Microsoft that the Text to Columns method is how the standard Format as Text should work!

    For years I've been struggling with the best way to deal with the broken built-in method. I started teaching Excel usage over 25 years ago and have had a career of programming and I can't remember when this issue cropped up. It plagues all areas of data manipulation and transfer into and our of databases where Excel is used as an intermediary--suddenly Identification numbers are corrupted as Scientific Notation versions of the underlying string of numbers. I don't know why anyone, anywhere, would ever want numbers stored in a column along with text used solely as identifiers and not values, to suddenly switch to Scientific Notation when changing to text...if anything, the numeric display should be Scientific Notation if proper and reformatting a column to Text would automatically convert to the original string of numbers.

    There should at least be some simple setting that the experts can make to make this bizarre action take place for those that think it has value and let the other 99.99% of the world be able to use Excel without tripping over this.

    Thanks for listening...I hope you have a voice they'll hear.

    Adam

  20. There is a much easier and faster way to convert a column of numbers in text format to number format by using the data - text to columns function.

    Suppose your column contains a number like this:

    1'235'612.47

    It will be recognised as "text" due to the apostrohes. Same thing if the number contains commas, like this:

    1,235,612.47

    All you need to do is click of the column, then click the data tab and the text to columns tab. Choose "deliminted". Un-check all the delimiters, like Tab, Semicolon, Comma, Space and so on. Click Next, then Advanced. In the boxes which appears, specify the thousands seperator which is being used by the text number. i.e. an apostrophe in the first case or a comma in the second. Click OK and Finish and all numbers are now in number format.

  21. Hi,thank you very much for your the sharing. I have a case here which cannot be addressed by any of the methods above. I create a pivot and use "customer ID"(which is already transferred to text in backend data) as a pivot filter. But when I use the filter to vlookup the customer name(so that I can get the corresponding customer name when filter changes), it failed. I guess it's still due to the cell format but wonder how to fix it by using a formula. "=text(**,"@") " doesn't work.

  22. Can you plz give me a solution for this
    Eg: What(4) do(2) you(3) want(4)

  24. I need the formula of one value i put in one colums same value i need in another colums . ie. 1275 in one colums another colum one thousand two hundred seventy five only. Pls give me the formula.

  25. I need to know how to input numerical data into a column and have it converted to word text. (Example.....if I type in 3, i want excel to convert it to the color white.) What formula or method do I need to use.

  26. How to convert numeric value ???

  27. This didn't work for me. I've tried absolutely everything and I cannot convert the numbers to stored text.

  28. Hi thanks for the solution it saved so much of time for all my colleagues when we are working with excel.
    i would like to know how can i get day to day update of a particular company share price in excel by using a formula from goggle finance or money control.

  29. Thank You. This Helped.

  30. Hi thanks for the tips. They are very helpful.
    But my issue is that I have few numbers in which I need to add some zeros before them, and then convert to text.
    For eg. 1234567 in number needs to be changed to 001234567 in text. I have a string of thousands of numbers like this. Kindly let me know if there is any shorcut in excel for doing this. Presently I use concatenate.

  31. is it possible to use a formula or conditional formatting to convert a number value into a text string. For example: I have a series of tasks assigned numbers 1 - 5. I'd like to have a text value display in the next column that if A1=1 then B1 would contain the text "submitted" and if A2 = 2 then B2 would contain the text "in progress", A3= 3, B2=support ticket issued... is this possible?

    1. Hi,

      from what you described, I believe you may find the IF function useful. Please take a look at this article to learn how you can apply it to your table.
      Hope this helps!

  32. Sorry Just figured out the solution was Text To Columns as posted in above article. Got the answer.

  33. I have a large chunk of data directly extracted from SQL database where a column was previously VARCHAR[20]

    This one column called NationalID randomly shows correct values and values converted to Short Format e.g. 2.55122E+11

    Regular/Correct value format : 255122100995
    Short/Invalid value format : 2.55122E+11

    When I double click on the cell it shows me the
    correct value 255122100995 instead of invalid value 2.55122E+11

    I tried cloning it the the next blank column and converting it to text but still it shows the value only after double click. Since I have lakhs of rows to process I need a formulatory way out

    Am a programmer so not much aware about how to go about this excel issue.

    Kindly guide.

  34. I want to convert costs into a letter code. Currently we use a system where every number 0-9 has a specific letter.

    So, if the cost is 108344, that translates to a code of PXHRKK because the numbers above translate to the letters below:

    1234567890
    PARKEFGHIX

    How can I automate this translation in Excel?

  35. Hi,

    I have a column of 500 numbers, (1-25) in a column. Each number, 1-25 represents an industry.
    Aerospace and Defense = 1
    Automotive = 2
    Banking = 4

    I need to replace the numbers, 1-25, with the corresponding industry match.

    How do I do this?

  36. Thank you so much for this. You saved my day. Now I can have cash and go to Spar.....Lol

  37. Copy paste from word Actual Figers
    1.11205E+15 1112053000152279
    2.10705E+15 2107053000163925
    5.10105E+15 5101053000292829
    4.10405E+15 4104053000607538
    9.99902E+12 9999024321252
    3.11005E+15 3110053000081445
    4.10305E+15 4103053000342622
    1.21305E+15 1213053000146229
    4.11705E+15 4117053000118075
    2.10105E+15 2101053000222052
    2.21005E+15 2210053000247300
    2.11105E+15 2111053000194473
    2.21205E+15 2212053000177567
    1.12205E+15 1122053000179723
    2.11005E+15 2110053000240877

    how can i Solve this issue,
    Im copying this figers PDF to Word then I'm copy this figers from word to Excel

  38. This article makes Excel bright. Thank you Maria.

  39. Thanks very much. This saved me a lot of time as all the other conversion methods did not work for some reason :-) Happy New Year!

  40. Thanks

  41. i want this thing in ms-excel
    when i type 225 in a cell than two hundred and twenty five should come in other cell.

  42. thanking you so much for this formulas

  43. Hi all
    i'm creating xls doc using openofficexml epplus
    i adding values in xls using ws.Cells("D1").value = 1234
    i would like to get something like simple quote '1234 as description in "Add an apostrophe to change number to text format" with result 1234 in cell but '1234 in text zone
    any idea ? is it a specific value ? formaula ?
    thx

  44. can any body guide me how to fix the specific code for tex/name in excel sheet on typing the name we see the result of specified code in required column.

    for example when i type "apple" and its code (100) appear in the required cell.

  45. hi
    How find the length of string For example in cell A1 Dilip sai001 is there so i want count for alphabets only ,if we use Len () means it will count space and numbers also So can u help me

    1. Hi Dilip,

      You should use the following formula:
      =SUMPRODUCT(LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1,{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0},"")))

  46. hello madam,

    how to fixed excel sheet in value convert in word .

  47. How to display a numeric value and a string in a excel cell ?

  48. Could you tell me why the excel won't change the number format even if I add an apostrophe in front of them? Is there anything else I should change in the options?

  49. how to convert number to word text
    like 2345 = Two thousand Three Hundred and Forty five only. in rupees

  50. I will try this again. I have several spreadsheets that I am converting from Lotus to Excel. The spreadsheets then connect together to make master spreadsheets. I need to be able to explain a number at times, such as labeling it with a name. In Lotus, I was able to just pick a cell next to the cell to be explained and put text in. But in Excel it gives a #value error.

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