If you're seeing 40899 and you can't reformat the cell as a date to show what
you want, then try:

Format the cell as a date
retype the entry in that cell.

If you still see 40899 in the cell, but you see 12/22/2011 in the formula bar,
then you're looking at formulas.

In xl2003 menus:
tools|options|view tab|uncheck formulas

(It's under the Office Button|Excel options (somewhere) in xl2007.)

Or you can use:
ctrl-` (ctrl-backquote (the key to the left of the 1/! on my USA keyboard) to
toggle this setting in any version of excel.

Holly wrote:

Example: 40899

Is there a formula to convert the serial number 40899 above back to
12/22/2011?

Thanks, Holly

--

Dave Peterson