Here is a quick tip to start the week.
Often, we end up with a situation where a bunch of numbers are stored as text.
In such cases, Excel displays a warning indicator at the top-left corner of the cell. If you click on warning symbol next to the cell, Excel shows a menu offering choices to treat the error.
Converting numbers stored as text back to numbers
Tip #1: Error correction
One easy and quick way to convert all the text-numbers to numbers is,
- Select all the cells
- Click on warning indicator next to top-most cell
- Choose Convert to number option
- Done
Tip#2: Paste Special Convert
Sometimes such text-numbers may be scattered across the worksheet, thus making selection of cells a pain.
In such cases, follow this process (see demo below)
- In a blank cell, just type 1
- Copy this blank cell.
- Select all the cells that have text-numbers.
- Press CTRL+ALT+V to launch Paste Special box.
- Choose Multiply from operation area.
- Click ok & Done!
Enjoy your numbers.
Bonus tip: If you think the error indicators are annoying, you can turn them off. Just go to File > Options > Formulas and turn off all the error checking rules you don’t need.
PS: Thanks to Justin for emailing me the Paste Special Multiply with 1 trick.
11 Responses to “Use Alt+Enter to get multiple lines in a cell [spreadcheats]”
@Chandoo:
One more useful trick.......
In a column you have no. of data in rows and need to copy in the next row from the previous row, no need to go for the previous rows but entering Alt + down arrow, you will get the list of data, (in asending order), entered in the previous rows...
This is another great tip. I use this all the time to make sense of some *very* long formulas. As soon as the formula is debugged I remove the break.
Great tip Chandoo!
I use this feature often and it has even gotten the, "how did you do that" response.
Thanks!
@Ketan: Alt+down arrow is an awesome tip. I never knew it and now I am using it everyday.
@Jorge, Tony: Agree... 🙂
[...] Day 1: Insert Line Breaks in a Cell [...]
how can we merge a two sheet.
excellent idea. Chandoo you are genious
Hi chandoo,
I have used ctrl+enter to break the cell. But I did not get the result.
Please tell me how can i break the cell in multiple lines.
Hi, Ranveer,
Its not Ctrl+enter to break the cell, use Alt+Enter to make it happen.
hi Chandoo....
how we can use Alt+Enter in multiple rows at the same time please reply hurry i have lot of work and have no time and i m stuck in this. 🙁
Alt+J worked once 🙁
So I found another more reliable way:
=SUBSTITUTE(A2,CHAR(13),"")
Where A2 is the cell that contains the line breaks which the code for it is CHAR(13). It will replace it with whatever inside the ""