format cells from mm/dd/yyyy to yyyy
 

I am trying to convert the format of a column of cells from mm/dd/yyyy to
yyyy. I used format cells, custom, and yyyy. The cell will change to the yyyy
format if I double click on it and then click on another cell. However,
trying to to do this with 49,000 cells is unreasonable. Any Ideas?

format cells from mm/dd/yyyy to yyyy
 

What version of Excel?

Did you select the entire column first before using format cells?

--
Susan Ramlet
**please reply to the newsgroup so others may benefit**


"bbane" wrote in message
...
I am trying to convert the format of a column of cells from mm/dd/yyyy to
yyyy. I used format cells, custom, and yyyy. The cell will change to the
yyyy
format if I double click on it and then click on another cell. However,
trying to to do this with 49,000 cells is unreasonable. Any Ideas?

format cells from mm/dd/yyyy to yyyy
 

Sounds like the dates are being seen as text by Excel.

Select the column then DataText to ColumnsNextNextColumn Data
FormatDateMDYFinish

Now Format to YYYY

Any joy?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Wed, 1 Apr 2009 13:13:01 -0700, bbane
wrote:

I am trying to convert the format of a column of cells from mm/dd/yyyy to
yyyy. I used format cells, custom, and yyyy. The cell will change to the yyyy
format if I double click on it and then click on another cell. However,
trying to to do this with 49,000 cells is unreasonable. Any Ideas?

format cells from mm/dd/yyyy to yyyy
 

Perfect! It worked. Thank you very much!
Bbane

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Sounds like the dates are being seen as text by Excel.

Select the column then DataText to ColumnsNextNextColumn Data
FormatDateMDYFinish

Now Format to YYYY

Any joy?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Wed, 1 Apr 2009 13:13:01 -0700, bbane
wrote:

I am trying to convert the format of a column of cells from mm/dd/yyyy to
yyyy. I used format cells, custom, and yyyy. The cell will change to the yyyy
format if I double click on it and then click on another cell. However,
trying to to do this with 49,000 cells is unreasonable. Any Ideas?