# Cell in Excel stuck in date mode

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-in-excel-stuck-in-date-mode/600992>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 27, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-in-excel-stuck-in-date-mode/600992 "2011-10-27T17:51:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-in-excel-stuck-in-date-mode/600992/1 "2011-10-27T17:51:56Z")

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I have a cell in a spreadsheet which turns any number I enter into it into a date.

MAKE IT STOP.

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**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-in-excel-stuck-in-date-mode/600992/2 "2011-10-27T17:56:14Z")

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Did you try to change the format of the cell?

Below is how it would be done in Excell 2010 and maybe even 2007

1. Select cell
2. right click your mouse  
3.choose “format Cells”
3. Choose “number”
4. set decimals or whatever
5. Select “OKay”

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**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-in-excel-stuck-in-date-mode/600992/3 "2011-10-27T17:56:49Z")

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Select the cell(s), bring up the “Format Cells” dialog, select “General” under the “Number” tab and press “OK”.

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**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-in-excel-stuck-in-date-mode/600992/4 "2011-10-27T18:04:55Z")

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> [@BubbaDog](#):
>
> Did you try to change the format of the cell?
> 
> Below is how it would be done in Excell 2010 and maybe even 2007

Sorry, forgot to mention the version–it is Excel 2010.

And of course I didn’t try to change the format–I’m basically asking _how_ to change the format, aren’t I?

Your advice fixed it, thanks. I think my eyes skipped over “format cells” before because of the pluralization of “cells”…

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**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-in-excel-stuck-in-date-mode/600992/5 "2011-10-27T18:38:43Z")

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Similar issue, I have a situation with Excel 2010 where the style “Normal” gets redefined as a date format. It seems to have some correlation with a spreadsheet that a former co-worker created that has some VB.

Any ideas where to look (or what VB command to search for)?