SOLVED

Converting number format to cell value

Copper Contributor

Hi folks - curious if there's a clever way to convert a number's format to become the cell value. 

 

ie: we have a cell value of 85, and we apply a number format to represent 2 decimal places, to 85.00

 

Is there a clever way to update the cell value to 85.00 (instead of the value being 85)? When I copy the formatted cell, and paste the value, it pastes 85 instead. 

4 Replies
best response confirmed by Croftinator (Copper Contributor)
Solution

@Croftinator 

If you copy and paste a formatted cell, you'll copy the format too.

If you copy a cell and paste as Values, you get only the value, not the formatting - that's the point of paste as Values.

You could do the following. Let's say you have 85 in cell D2.

In E2, enter the formula =TEXT(D2, "0.00"). You'll see 85.00 in E2 as a text value.

You can now copy E2 instead of D2, and paste as Values. That will result in 85.00.

Thanks so much! Converting to text works, and I appreciate the fix! I'm curious though, is there a way for the cell value to be a number, and for the value to be, "85.00," without using formatting?

@Croftinator 

If a cell contains 85 as a number, that 85 is the value of the cell, regardless of how that value is displayed in the cell, whether that is 85 or 85.0 or 85.00 or 8500% or 8.5E+01.

85.0 or 85.00 etc. are not the value of the cell, just the way it is displayed.

 

If a cell contains text, its value is exactly what is displayed.

Thank you very much!
1 best response

Accepted Solutions
best response confirmed by Croftinator (Copper Contributor)
Solution

@Croftinator 

If you copy and paste a formatted cell, you'll copy the format too.

If you copy a cell and paste as Values, you get only the value, not the formatting - that's the point of paste as Values.

You could do the following. Let's say you have 85 in cell D2.

In E2, enter the formula =TEXT(D2, "0.00"). You'll see 85.00 in E2 as a text value.

You can now copy E2 instead of D2, and paste as Values. That will result in 85.00.

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