How to convert numbers stored as text to numbers in Excel

Q: How do I convert text dates?

Use =DATEVALUE(A2) and format the result as a date.

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=VALUE(A2)

Use =VALUE(A2), or multiply by 1. The result is a real number that sums, sorts and looks up correctly.

Result on the example: one result per row in B2, filled down to B6
Works in: Every current version
Google Sheets: Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in B2, filled down to B6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

Imported numbers often arrive as text: they sit on the left of the cell, SUM skips them and lookups fail. VALUE reads the text the way you would type it, including thousands separators and spaces, and returns a number.

=VALUE(A2)

Result1250

A2"1,250"
The value in A2.
VALUE(A2)1250
VALUE: Converts text that looks like a number into a number.
- textA2"1,250"

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =VALUE(A2). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.

Other ways to do it

Each one was run on the same example sheet.

Formula	Result	When to use it
=A2*1	1,250.00, 980.00, 2,310.00…	Any arithmetic converts text that looks like a number. `=--A2` is the same trick.

Common mistakes

Text with letters or symbols VALUE doesn't recognize returns #VALUE!. Clean them out first with SUBSTITUTE.
Numbers written with a comma as the decimal separator (1.250,50) need NUMBERVALUE, which takes the separators as arguments: =NUMBERVALUE(A2,",",".").
The converted numbers live in a new column. To replace the originals, copy and Paste Values over them.
Without formulas, select the cells and use the warning icon's "Convert to Number".

Try it yourself

Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.

Convert numbers stored as text to numbers

In B2, convert the imported text to a real number and fill down to B6.

Questions

How do I know if a number is stored as text?

It's left-aligned by default, often with a green triangle, and =ISTEXT(A2) returns TRUE.

How do I convert text dates?

Use =DATEVALUE(A2) and format the result as a date.

Checked by running on 2026-10-29: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.