# Excel Wizards Again! Faster way to "reset" a field than select/enter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241 "2009-09-15T21:57:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241/1 "2009-09-15T21:57:14Z")
What do I mean? Well, let’s say a column of dates that has been imported from another program is being seen and read as text in Excel. I can change the format and/or copy/paste values only…but the only way that Excel comes to KNOW that these are now dates in a date-formatted cell is if I click on the cel to select it (only clicking works, not keyboard navigating to it.) then hit enter or return…poof! The cell suddenly understands that the contents are a date. This is incredibly irritating and stupid and time-consuming and decidedly low-tech. There must be a better way. Help! ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241/2 "2009-09-15T23:55:49Z")
You can select the whole column and apply cell formats to it to let Excel know that all of them should be treated as dates. You can also use the List Wizard for the same function (though I despise the LW). ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241/3 "2009-09-16T00:07:36Z")
Ya know, if you spent $100 on a beginning Excel class … [www.newhorizons.com](http://www.newhorizons.com) among many others ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241/4 "2009-09-16T00:23:31Z")
sidenote: i’m pretty sure you can navigate with your keyboard and once at the desired cell press F2, then Enter. ---
**Author:** ![A2Steve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@A2Steve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A2Steve)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241/5 "2009-09-16T16:35:58Z")
I made this macro for that problem, importing copied data from a Chinese system: Sub Force\_chinese\_to\_numbers() Dim sttemp As String Do While Selection.Text \<\> “” Selection.Offset(1, 0).Select sttemp = Selection.Text Selection.Value = sttemp Loop End Sub It will run down a column from whereever you have selected, clicking into each cell below to reset the default formatting. ---
**Author:** ![Sine\_Nomine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sine_nomine/32/513_2.png) [@Sine\_Nomine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sine_Nomine)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241/6 "2009-09-16T21:59:21Z")
I know the problem you’re talking about, and it really irritates me. I’d love it if Excel would just understand that when I say “Format as date” it would know I mean “including what’s entered as text.” Here’s my best solution: Let’s say your copy-and-pasted text is Column A. Insert a blank column somewhere (B, in our example) and format it with the date format you want. In B1, enter “VALUE(A1)” and drag the formula down as needed to convert the rest of your numbers. Copy and paste special\>values to get rid of the formulas. It’s still tedious, but not as bad as having to hit return in each cell. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-wizards-again-faster-way-to-reset-a-field-than-select-enter/510241/7 "2009-09-16T23:25:44Z")
I don’t know why you can’t just format the column unless there is a blank space but you could try “text to columns” and use the date function (but don’t actually create any additional columns). Could you post an example that we can import to test?