Forum Discussion
Excel on Android - numeric keypad
Most of my data entry in Excel is numeric, and I really like to choose the dedicated keyboard for number entry. There are three minor issues: Sometimes when I go back to Excel after a while it h...
Not brilliant, but probably the best solution available: -
Click on the cell.
Click on the Home > Number Format icon (Fifth icon along the Home ribbon on my tablet)
At the bottom of this drop-down menu, click on "Text".
The cell will now be formatted as text, and the keyboard will be the alphanumeric one.
(To get the numeric keyboard back, click on a cell, then Number Format > whatever takes your fancy.)
Hi, I've followed your instructions but it didn't work at all. If a cell has the numeric keyboard, changing the cell info to "text" just alters the details in the cell. It makes no difference to the keyboard at all.
Sorry, I should have added two more steps.
After clicking on the cell and then on Home > Number Format > Text, you may need to click on any other cell, then back onto the original cell. The keyboard should now be alphanumeric, because you have changed the "Number Format" to Text.
Microsoft wisdom dictates that they couldn't possibly change the keyboard immediately to match the "Text" comand. 🙂
I have just tried this on both my tablet and my android phone. Apart from the difficulty on the phone finding Home> Number Format, it worked on both.
Are you on a tablet or a phone?
- Hi, thanks for the reply. It works! Bit of a pain but at least I can use it again.
Thanks for the help.
Oh, I also tried then reverting the cell back to 'number' from 'text' just in case it messed up any formulas & it keeps the keyboard as alphanumeric which is very handy. Glad to have finally been shown a workaround.
(Just as an aside, I was using a tablet. Both my tablet & phone are Samsung, both android 10 & fully updated, but on my phone I still have the bar with the option of switching keyboards. It's only on my tablet it's disappeared. Very strange)
But again, many thanks. Really appreciate it.