Help with Excel

[BigB]

Hi All

Ive got a problem with a file i am using. It is a long list of numbers. When you are not in the cell the number looks like this:

ABC1234

When you double click in the cell it changes to this:

'ABC1234 and this also appears in the function bar at the top when you just click on the cell once.

I cannot get rid of this ' . I have tried find and replace, format cells, paste special, text to columns etc. Any1 help?????

[ugly_bob]

It's because it's not a number, but has text in it too.

The ' is just to tell excel to treat it as text.

Not entirely sure what you are trying to do with the data, so don't know what problems you are trying to overcome

[BigB]

hi

what i need to do i vlookups and things like that. As it is different to the other file i have vlookup wont recognise it

[ugly_bob]

ok. Not sure about vlookups.

BUT

If you cut and paste the data into notebook, and save it

Then import it into Excel, the ' signs will have gone.

Bit of a long way round of doing things, I'm sure there is a better way.

[BigB]

Thanks ugly_bob

I had exactly the same thought but as u say i am sure there is a quicker way. Notepad has done the trick though.