Forum Discussion
excel
formatting cell for date. put in 9/22/22 and get 44826 when you tab out. if you highlight the cell with 44826 in the formula bar you will see 9/22/22.
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The issue you are describing is likely related to the formatting of the date in Excel. The number "44826" is the serial number that Excel uses to internally represent dates. When you see "9/22/22" in the formula bar, it indicates that the cell is formatted to display the date, but the underlying value is still the serial number.
To resolve this issue, you can adjust the formatting of the cell to ensure that Excel interprets the entered value as a date.
Here is how you can do it:
1. Select the Cell:
Click on the cell containing the date (where you entered "9/22/22").
2. Format as Date:
Go to the "Home" tab on the ribbon.
3. Open the Format Cells Dialog:
In the "Number" group, you'll find a drop-down menu. Click on the small arrow in the bottom right corner of that group to open the "Format Cells" dialog.
4. Choose Date Format:
In the "Format Cells" dialog, go to the "Number" tab.
Select "Date" from the category list.
Choose the desired date format from the list.
5. Click OK:
Click "OK" to apply the formatting.
After these steps, the cell should display the date in the chosen format, and the serial number should no longer be visible. AI was partially deployed to support the text.
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Hope this will help you.
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This will help all forum participants.
- done that many many times.
If I may also recommend adding more informations, such as Excel version, operating system, storage medium, file extension, etc..
Add the file (without sensitive data) if possible, this would make it much easier to provide help.
Thank you for your patience and understanding
Have done exactly that about 10 times. get the same result.
If you have applied the date formatting as described, and you're still seeing the serial number instead of the date in the cell, there are a few additional steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:
1. Check Cell Format in Formula Bar:
When you enter a date in a cell, check the formula bar to see if it shows the date in the correct format. If the formula bar displays the date correctly, then the issue might be related to how the cells are being displayed.
2. Verify Regional Date Settings:
Ensure that your regional date settings are configured correctly. Excel uses the regional settings to interpret and display dates. To check and update these settings:
- Go to "Control Panel" on your computer.
- Select "Clock and Region" or "Region and Language."
- Click on "Change date, time, or number formats."
- In the "Formats" tab, make sure the short date format corresponds to the format you are entering (e.g., MM/dd/yy).
- Click "OK" to apply the changes.
3. Clear Cell Formats:
Try clearing the cell formats and reapplying the date format:
- Select the cell with the serial number.
- Right-click and choose "Format Cells."
- In the Format Cells dialog, go to the "Number" tab.
- Choose "General" as the category.
- Click "OK" to apply the changes.
- Reapply the date format.
4. Test with a New Worksheet:
Create a new worksheet, enter a date, and apply the date format. This helps determine if the issue is specific to the current workbook.
If the problem persists after trying these steps, it might be helpful to understand the specific context or any additional details about the workbook. You could also try opening the workbook on a different computer to see if the behavior is consistent and send more informations.
