Forum Discussion
Tony_Williams2335
Microsoft
Nov 13, 2023Control data conversions in Excel for Windows and Mac
Hey Insiders, we’ve improved the Automatic Data Conversion settings we made available last year, and are now making them broadly available in both Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac. Users now have the ability to change Excel’s default behavior and disable specific types of automatic data conversions as needed. Learn more here.
To do so, select File > Options > Data > Automatic Data Conversion, and then choose the conversion(s) that you’d like to disable.
Please note: This feature is available to all users running:
Windows: Version 2309 (Build 16808.10000) or later
Mac: Version 16.77 (Build 23091003) or later
Best,
Tony
Microsoft 365 Insider Social Community Manager
- Dean_ResourceCopper Contributor
Tony_Williams2335 unfortunately while this option is there, it is ignored and the changes are applied whether these are ticked or not. 😕
- KevinInKyCopper Contributor
Glad to know that I'm not the only one to notice the Automatic Data Conversion settings do nothing at all. I have HATED how Excel converts large numbers to scientific notations for years. When I heard this feature was coming I was excited. But only to find out that this feature does nothing. Still, when I open a file the numbers get converted to Scientific Notation regardless of how this setting is set. Clearly this function does not work. Who the heck decided to do this in the first place. No one wants scientific notation. Not even scientists.
- QuendiCopper ContributorSo true, I opened a topic on Microsoft Forums : https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/how-to-enable-automatic-data-conversions-settings/b8aa90ef-11b6-4860-87a2-0fe203f0c43d
Please say something here to make them open an issue and make it solved.
- QuendiCopper ContributorYep, because it is so useful to have options that doesn't do anything...
- Dean_ResourceCopper Contributor
Quendi correct, hence my post.