Excel Dates Are Showing As Numbers 3 Comprehensive Fixes

Microsoft Excel is a popular tool that uses spreadsheets to organize numbers and data with formulas and functions. It has many features that make it easier to input data. However, Excel dates showing as numbers are one of the problems users encounter.

An outdated app may trigger this problem

Excel dates showing as numbers make it difficult to work with a database that requires date entries.The problem can be a result of the formatting rules in the Excel app.The Find & Replace function and converting cell formatting will resolve the problem.
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Also, you can experience Excel file format and extension not matching, resulting in problems.

Why are my dates appearing as numbers in Excel?

Excel changing dates to random numbers is an issue many users run into frequently. It can occur for some reasons affecting the Excel app.

Some underlying factors liable to cause the problem are:

Excel converting rules – Excel has rules and directives for using its algorithms. It has automatic converting rules that can change all your numbers into dates. So, it is possible the dates you’re entering into the cell are converted to numbers based on the formatting rules in Excel.
Outdated Excel app – Sometimes, an outdated Excel app can cause the formatting and layout settings not to be practical. It is due to the bugs infecting the app because it can’t access needed updates and patches.

However, you can follow a few steps to stop dates from appearing as numbers in Excel.

How do I get Excel to stop changing my dates to numbers?

We recommend you follow these preliminary checks before proceeding with any steps:

Fix network issues on your PC.
Ensure you update the Excel app to the latest version.
Restart Windows in Safe Mode and launch Microsoft Excel to see if the problem persists.

If the problem continues, go ahead with the steps below:

1. Convert the cell formatting

Launch Microsoft Excel.
Hold the left-click button on the mouse and drag the cursor over cells to select the range of cells that will include the dates.
Right-click on the selected cell range and select Format Cells from the drop-down options.
Select Date on the Number tab, then click the OK button to change the format for the selected range of cells.
To change the cell format for a whole spreadsheet, click the box in the top-left corner of the sheet.
Right-click on any cell and select Format Cells from the drop-down options.
Select Date on the Number tab, then click the OK button to change the format for all cells.

Changing the cell format allows you to type dates in the cells without them appearing as numbers. It changes the Excel converting rules. If the spreadsheet arrow is not working in Excel, check l our guide for some fixes.

2. Insert a sign

Open Microsoft Excel and go to your sheet.
Click on any empty cell, press Ctrl + ; (semicolon), and then press Enter.

The above combination will quickly enter the current date in your worksheet without converting it to a number.

3. Use Find & Replace

Launch the Microsoft Excel app and open the sheet.
Select all the dates converted to text that you want to fix.
Press Ctrl + H to open the Find & Replace dialog box.
Enter a decimal sign in the Find what box and a forward slash in the Replace with field section.
Click the Replace All button to allow Excel to detect your texts and format them automatically as dates.

Using the Find and Replace function allows you to replace the decimal point with a slash, prompting Excel to reevaluate the value as a date.

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Alternatively, our readers can read through our guide on how to Stop Excel from changing numbers to dates when using it. Likewise, you can check how to fix not being able to access files on Excel.

If you have more questions or suggestions, kindly drop them in the comments section.

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An outdated app may trigger this problem#

Why are my dates appearing as numbers in Excel?#

How do I get Excel to stop changing my dates to numbers?#

1. Convert the cell formatting#

2. Insert a sign#

3. Use Find & Replace#