I have exported data from a program into an excel file. When I open the file,
the values/numbers are being read as text. How can I change the numbers being
shown as text into a value so I can do calculations against them?

Are you doing a File/Open in Excel, changing the file type to text and then
selecting the file name. You should be able to define the column type as
general once you tell Excel whether or not the file is fixed or delimited,
and if delimited, what character is the delimiter.

At that point the data is displayed and you can select each column and tell
Excel if it's a date, general, text, or do not import the column.
--
Kevin Backmann


"Lynn Burrow" wrote:

I have exported data from a program into an excel file. When I open the file,
the values/numbers are being read as text. How can I change the numbers being
shown as text into a value so I can do calculations against them?

Lynn, here's what I do:

Change the formatting in the cells that need to be numbers to whichever
number format you require.

Type a 1 into an empty cell, then Copy it.

Select the range of numbers still currently displayed as text, then
select Edit|Paste Special, selecting 'Multiply' under 'Operation.'

Click OK and your text is converted to numbers. Delete the "1" from
the cell into which you typed it.

Lynn

Select all and Format as General.

Select an empty cell and Copy it.

Select the "numbers" and Paste Special(in place)AddOKEsc.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 12:36:04 -0800, "Lynn Burrow"
wrote:

I have exported data from a program into an excel file. When I open the file,
the values/numbers are being read as text. How can I change the numbers being
shown as text into a value so I can do calculations against them?

Here's another very quick way I picked up a week or so ago:

Highlight the column that you want to convert
Click Data | Text-to-Columns then click Finish

Repeat for any other columns.

Hope this helps.

Pete