When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to "3-jan". If
I then manually change the format of the cell to text, the content of the
cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

Hi
you either have to preformat the cell as 'Text' or enter your values with a
preceding apostrophe. e.g.
'3-1

--
Regards
Frank Kabel
Frankfurt, Germany

Coen wrote:
When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to
"3-jan". If I then manually change the format of the cell to text,
the content of the cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

But if I copy a set of e.g. sports results from a table on the internet
(paste as HTML), the preformatting is overruled, and there is no apostrophe
in the table.

Is it possible to switch of this auto-formatting all together?

"Frank Kabel" wrote:

Hi
you either have to preformat the cell as 'Text' or enter your values with a
preceding apostrophe. e.g.
'3-1

--
Regards
Frank Kabel
Frankfurt, Germany

Coen wrote:
When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to
"3-jan". If I then manually change the format of the cell to text,
the content of the cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

Hi
switching it off completely is not possible

--
Regards
Frank Kabel
Frankfurt, Germany

Coen wrote:
But if I copy a set of e.g. sports results from a table on the
internet (paste as HTML), the preformatting is overruled, and there
is no apostrophe in the table.

Is it possible to switch of this auto-formatting all together?

"Frank Kabel" wrote:

Hi
you either have to preformat the cell as 'Text' or enter your values
with a preceding apostrophe. e.g.
'3-1

--
Regards
Frank Kabel
Frankfurt, Germany

Coen wrote:
When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to
"3-jan". If I then manually change the format of the cell to text,
the content of the cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

Coen

Pre-format the cells as text or precede with a leading '. (That will not
show)

--
HTH
Nick Hodge
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Southampton, England
HIS


"Coen" wrote in message
...
When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to "3-jan".
If
I then manually change the format of the cell to text, the content of the
cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

The easiest way to format the entire worksheet is to click on the top left
corner i.e. left of Col A and above row 1. This selects the entire
worksheet. Once selected you can format all cell as text then they will not
give a date when you enter your data of 3-1.
You must do this before you enter data as a date is really a number as far
as Excel is concerned.


"Coen" wrote:

When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to "3-jan". If
I then manually change the format of the cell to text, the content of the
cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

I have the same problem. Copying and pasting several fields some of which
contain data like 3-1 or 3-2-1.
Preformatting as text and Paste Special puts everything into a single field.
Preformatting and Paste converts the above fields to dates.
1-2-3-4 is not converted to a date.
Why does Excel do this? It should be optional.
Microsoft please fix it up.

Vince


"Coen" wrote:

When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to "3-jan". If
I then manually change the format of the cell to text, the content of the
cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

How do I contact Microsoft to tell them that Excel shoulld not be so
"unhelpful".
--
Vince


"Vince" wrote:


I have the same problem. Copying and pasting several fields some of which
contain data like 3-1 or 3-2-1.
Preformatting as text and Paste Special puts everything into a single field.
Preformatting and Paste converts the above fields to dates.
1-2-3-4 is not converted to a date.
Why does Excel do this? It should be optional.
Microsoft please fix it up.

Vince


"Coen" wrote:

When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to "3-jan". If
I then manually change the format of the cell to text, the content of the
cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...

Coen

find "option to prevent Excel changing 1-2-3 to a date" and agree with the
suggestion.
--
Vince


"Coen" wrote:

When I enter "3-1" in a cell, Excel changes this automatically to "3-jan". If
I then manually change the format of the cell to text, the content of the
cell changes to "37989", not the original "3-1".

How do I switch off this automatic formatting?

Thanks for any suggestions...