What’s the trick to converting numbers to text?

Introduction:

At some point in your Excel journey, you might encounter a situation where you need to convert numbers to text. This could be necessary for a number of reasons, such as maintaining leading zeros in product codes or merging numbers into a text string for display. Whatever the reason might be, ExcelBundle is here to show you the ropes! Let's dive into the how-tos and tricks of converting numbers to text in Excel.

Relevant Information:

Excel offers built-in functions to quickly convert numbers to text. The two most common techniques involve the 'TEXT' and 'Apostrophe' methods. It's important to be familiar with both tactics because you might need to choose one over the other depending on your specific use case. Remember, ExcelBundle always recommends using Excel's ready-made templates as a starting point to save time and boost productivity.

Converting Numbers using the TEXT Function:

The 'TEXT' function is a fundamental tool that help Excel users manipulate data. Here is how to use it to convert numbers to text:

1. Identify the cell that contains the number you want to convert to a text. For example, let's say your number is in cell A1.
2. Go to the cell where you want the text version of the number to display. In that cell, type '=TEXT(A1, "0")' without quotes.
3. Press 'Enter.' Your number should now appear as text in the new cell.

Remember the syntax of the 'TEXT' function: 'TEXT(value, format_text).' In our case, the format text was "0". "0" preserves the numeric value as it is. If your number includes decimal places and you want to keep them, use "0.00".

Converting Numbers using the Apostrophe Method:

Another technique to convert a number to text is the 'Apostrophe' method. This method is even simpler than using the 'TEXT' function:

1. Click on the cell where you want to display the number as text.
2. Before typing your number, insert an apostrophe ('), and then the number.
3. Press 'Enter.' Excel displays the number as text, and preserves the original number format.

Note that the apostrophe doesn't appear in the cell when selected, it only shows in the formula bar.

Tips and Tricks:

Using these two techniques, you should now be able to convert just about any number to text in Excel. However, there are a few things to remember while doing these conversions:

• When using the 'TEXT' function, Excel removes any leading or trailing zeros. If you need these zeros, use the 'Apostrophe' method.
• Conversing numbers to text, in Excel, disables mathematical calculations on them. Ensure to maintain a copy of your original numbers if you still need to perform computations.
• If Excel displays a green triangle in the top-left corner of the cell after using the 'Apostrophe' method, don't panic. This is only Excel's way of saying that the cell contains a number stored as text. You can ignore this if the conversion was intentional.

Conclusion:

Whether you're an Excel newbie or a seasoned pro, understanding how to convert numbers to text is a useful skill. With the information shared here, you should be able to perform this task without a hitch. Remember, ExcelBundle is always here to help you amplify your Excel expertise. Happy Exceling!