Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 18, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you are using Excel to grab information from an external source, it is possible that you could end up with some pretty strange information in your cells. For instance, let's say that you have cells that contain numbers such as 1,234.5-. These are formatted as text cells in Excel, and therefore cannot be used in calculations.
The following macro will check the cells in a selected range. If the cells contain text, and that text ends in a minus sign, the macro will move the minus sign to the beginning of the text and stuff it back into the cell. The result is that the cell is converted from a text value to the proper numeric value.
Sub ConvToNum() Dim MyText As Variant Dim MyRange As Range Dim CellCount As Integer Set MyRange = ActiveSheet.Range(ActiveWindow.Selection.Address) For CellCount = 1 To MyRange.Cells.Count MyText = MyRange.Cells(CellCount).Value If VarType(MyText) = vbString Then MyText = Trim(MyText) If Right(MyText, 1) = "-" Then MyText = "-" & Left(MyText, Len(MyText) - 1) MyRange.Cells(CellCount).Value = MyText End If End If Next CellCount End Sub
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2300) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Converting Text to Numbers.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Grab some info from a source other than Excel, and you may find the need to delete a certain pattern of rows from a ...
Discover MoreWant to have you macro completely hide the Excel interface? You can do so by using the Visible property for the Excel ...
Discover MoreMacros are often used to process the data in a worksheet. If that data includes dates that need to be processed, you'll ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments