Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Limiting Entries to Numeric Values.
Gary has a worksheet that people in his office use for data entry. He wants to make sure that in a particular cell they can only enter a numeric value. He wonders how to stop them from entering other entries—like text or dates or times—in the cell.
The easiest way to do this is to use Excel's data validation feature. This feature allows you to define the parameters of what can be entered in a cell. Follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Settings tab of the Data Validation dialog box.
People can now enter only a numeric value within the range you specified. The one exception to this is dates and times. Since they are maintained internally, by Excel, as numbers, it is possible to enter a date, provided the date is parsed into a numeric value that is within the range you specify.
For instance, if you set up data validation to only allow values between 20,000 and 21,000, then someone could enter a date of 6/11/1956 because Excel parses the date to the whole number 20,617. The best way to handle dates and times is to format the cell so that it uses a numeric format, which will stop Excel from displaying dates and times.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2425) 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: Limiting Entries to Numeric Values.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
When setting up a worksheet for others to use, you might want to make some limitations on what can be entered in certain ...
Discover MoreWhen using data validation, you might want to have Excel display a message when someone starts to enter information into a ...
Discover MoreIt is not unusual to use Excel to gather the answers to users' questions. If you want your users to answer your questions in ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2017-04-11 03:57:28
Mert
Hi Allen,
I see you didn't answer any question below but I'd appreciate. Is there a way to also lock cell to be deleted after I set data validation? If I lock cell, I can't enter any value, if I don't lock cell and only do data validation, then someone can delete the cell mistakenly which is unwanted in my case.
Thanks
2017-01-05 21:53:47
Hi Allen,
Is there a way to restrict the input to a cell to text?
I'm setting up a spreadsheet and want to restrict the type of entry in the cells.
Some are numeric and using validation works well for those cells.
Some are alpha and validation doesn't seem to work in the way I want.
When I validate the cell for text it lets me input numbers into the cell when I use it.
Some insights would be much appreciated.
Regards
Jamie
2016-11-01 14:58:26
Marc
Thank you.
2016-07-14 07:09:47
Naveen N
Hi, This solution is creating the drop down list. which is very limited. where has i need to restrict the cell only for numeric entry it may be combination of any thing from 0 to 9 and the length of 6 only.
Please suggest me a way out.
2016-06-22 07:14:29
karthik
I want to prevent the users to enter more than a specific value in a column..for example if i set 100 is the highest value for that cell, users can only enter less than 100.if they enter more than that error msg should popup.
I want to know how to set a high value for the cell and error popup option. can someone helpme....
2016-04-19 15:25:52
Andy
This works for typing in values but not for copying/pasting values. I can set a field to numeric only like you say and can't type in anything but a number, but I can paste anything in there I want. Is there a fix for that?
2015-10-24 07:55:51
Reddy
I am not sure if i can use data validation for this. I want restrict users from entering the following numbers in a range/cell - 10, 24, 35, 60, 70 and 80. How do i do this? Please advise
2015-08-18 07:32:29
RIDDHI
@ Willy Vanhaelen
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THOUGH I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND LOGIC, BUT ITS WORKING. FANTASTIC.
2015-08-18 06:38:38
Willy Vanhaelen
@riddhi,
Oops, I have been a little too hasty. The formula I proposed earlier will be true for i.e. 2A34B.
This formula will do a better job:
=AND(LEN(A1)=5,ISNUMBER(VALUE(MID(A1,3,2))),NOT(ISNUMBER(VALUE(LEFT(A1,1)))),NOT(ISNUMBER(VALUE(MID(A1,2,1)))),NOT(ISNUMBER(VALUE(RIGHT(A1,1)))))
The validation will accept any non-number for the first 2 and last characters such as A or B but also for i.e. a space or punctuation mark. If this is a problem then you'll need a user defined function because a classic formula would become extremely long.
2015-08-18 05:31:51
Willy Vanhaelen
@riddhi,
This formula should do:
=AND(LEN(A1)=5,ISNUMBER(VALUE(MID(A1,3,2))),ISTEXT(LEFT(A1,2)&RIGHT(A1,1)))
2015-08-17 07:06:07
riddhi
I have many codes which are in format of AB11A.(1st two and last letter alphabetic and, 3rd and 4th letter in numeric)
I want to make formula in such a way that excel doesnt accept number if any one type number in 1st, 2nd and 3rd position and it doest accept alphabetical if any one type in 3rd and 4th position.
In short in 1st,2nd and 5th place, excel accept only alphabecs and in 3rd and 4th it accept only numerical.
2014-10-17 09:31:10
Azim
Hello sir
I have a query that is there any way that when i entered FIRST TIME anything in my cell, it will lock automatically LOCK so that no one can edit it and Delete it.
2014-08-09 02:43:02
Surya
How to permit the user to enter either letter 'A' or a whole number between zero to sixty, in to a cell?
2013-08-11 09:40:25
Hello Sir,
I just subscribed you for excel.
I have a question. Please help me...
Is it possible to limit the data range depending upon value selected in drop down list.
Suppose i have a drop down list (say in cell M1)which has 5 options, namely Refrigerator, TV, Mixer, Micro oven, Speaker.
Now i want to limit the data entered in cell X20 depending upon the option selected.
For example:
For TV maximum value allowed to be entered in cell X20 = 1000$, For refrigerator 800 $ and so on....
Is it possible to do in excel 2010? If it is possible, tell me how to do it.
Thanks & Regards
2013-08-11 09:38:14
Abhinandan
Is it possible to limit the data range depending upon value selected in drop down list.
Suppose i have a drop down list (say in cell M1)which has 5 options, namely Refrigerator, TV, Mixer, Micro oven, Speaker.
Now i want to limit the data entered in cell X20 depending upon the option selected.
For example:
For TV maximum value allowed to be entered in cell X20 = 1000$, For refrigerator 800 $ and so on....
Is it possible to do in excel 2010?
Thanks & Regards
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 © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: 
Comments