TEXT function

Overview

In its simplest form, the TEXT function says:

• =TEXT(Value you want to format, "Format code you want to apply")

Here are some popular examples, which you can copy directly into Excel to experiment with on your own. Notice the format codes within quotation marks.

Download our examples

You can download an example workbook with all of the TEXT function examples you'll find in this article, plus some extras. You can follow along, or create your own TEXT function format codes.

Download Excel TEXT function examples

Other format codes that are available

You can use the Format Cells dialog box to find the other available format codes:

1. Press Ctrl+1 (+1 on the Mac) to bring up the Format Cells dialog box.

2. Select the format you want from the Number tab.

3. Select the Custom option.

4. The format code you want is now shown in the Type box. In this case, select everything from the Type box except the semicolon (;) and @ symbol. In the example below, we selected and copied just mm/dd/yy.

5. Press Ctrl+C to copy the format code, and then press Cancel to dismiss the Format Cells dialog box.

6. Now, all you need to do is press Ctrl+V to paste the format code into your TEXT formula, like: =TEXT(B2,"mm/dd/yy"). Make sure that you paste the format code within quotes ("format code"), otherwise Excel will give you an error message.

Format codes by category

Following are some examples of how you can apply different number formats to your values by using the Format Cells dialog box, and then use the Custom option to copy those format codes to your TEXT function.

Select a number formatLeading zero's (0's) Display a thousands separator Number, currency and accounting formats Dates Times Percentages Fractions Scientific notation Special formats

Why does Excel delete my leading 0’s?

Excel is trained to look for numbers being entered in cells, not numbers that look like text, like part numbers or SKU's. To retain leading zeros, format the input range as Text before you paste or enter values. Select the column, or range where you'll be putting the values, then use CTRL+1 to bring up the Format > Cells dialog and on the Number tab select Text. Now Excel will keep your leading 0's.

If you’ve already entered data and Excel has removed your leading 0's, you can use the TEXT function to add them back. You can reference the top cell with the values and use =TEXT(value,"00000"), where the number of 0’s in the formula represents the total number of characters you want, then copy and paste to the rest of your range.

If for some reason you need to convert text values back to numbers you can multiply by 1, like =D4*1, or use the double-unary operator (--), like =--D4.

Excel separates thousands by commas if the format contains a comma (,) that is enclosed by number signs (#) or by zeros. For example, if the format string is "#,###", Excel displays the number 12200000 as 12,200,000.

A comma that follows a digit placeholder scales the number by 1,000. For example, if the format string is "#,###.0,", Excel displays the number 12200000 as 12,200.0.

Notes: 

• The thousands separator is dependent on your regional settings. In the US it's a comma, but in other locales it might be a period (.).

• The thousands separator is available for the number, currency and accounting formats.

Following are examples of standard number (thousands separator and decimals only), currency and accounting formats. Currency format allows you to insert the currency symbol of your choice and aligns it next to your value, while accounting format will align the currency symbol to the left of the cell and the value to the right. Note the difference between the currency and accounting format codes below, where accounting uses an asterisk (*) to create separation between the symbol and the value.

To find the format code for a currency symbol, first press Ctrl+1 (or +1 on the Mac), select the format you want, then choose a symbol from the Symbol drop-down:

Then click Custom on the left from the Category section, and copy the format code, including the currency symbol.

Note: The TEXT function does not support color formatting, so if you copy a number format code from the Format Cells dialog that includes a color, like this: $#,##0.00_);[Red]($#,##0.00), the TEXT function will accept the format code, but it won't display the color.

You can alter the way a date displays by using a mix of "M" for month, "D" for days, and "Y" for years.

Format codes in the TEXT function aren't case sensitive, so you can use either "M" or "m", "D" or "d", "Y" or "y".

Mynda Recommends... If you share Excel files and reports with users from different countries, then you might want to give them a report in their language. Excel MVP, Mynda Treacy has a great solution in this Excel Dates Displayed in Different Languages article. It also includes a sample workbook you can download.

You can alter the way time displays by using a mix of "H" for hours, "M" for minutes, or "S" for seconds, and "AM/PM" for a 12-hour clock.

If you leave out the "AM/PM" or "A/P", then time will display based on a 24-hour clock.

Format codes in the TEXT function aren't case sensitive, so you can use either "H" or "h", "M" or "m", "S" or "s", "AM/PM" or "am/pm".

You can alter the way decimal values display with percentage (%) formats.

You can alter the way decimal values display with fraction (?/?) formats.

Scientific notation is a way of displaying numbers in terms of a decimal between 1 and 10, multiplied by a power of 10. It is often used to shorten the way that large numbers display.

Excel provides 4 special formats:

• Zip Code - "00000"

• Zip Code + 4 - "00000-0000"

• Phone Number - "[<=9999999]###-####;(###) ###-####"

• Social Security Number - "000-00-0000"

Special formats will be different depending on locale, but if there aren't any special formats for your locale, or if these don't meet your needs then you can create your own through the Format Cells > Custom dialog.

Common scenario

The TEXT function is rarely used by itself, and is most often used in conjunction with something else. Let’s say you want to combine text and a number value, like “Report Printed on: 03/14/12”, or “Weekly Revenue: $66,348.72”. You could type that into Excel manually, but that defeats the purpose of having Excel do it for you. Unfortunately, when you combine text and formatted numbers, like dates, times, currency, etc., Excel doesn’t know how you want to display them, so it drops the number formatting. This is where the TEXT function is invaluable, because it allows you to force Excel to format the values the way you want by using a format code, like "MM/DD/YY" for date format.

In the following example, you’ll see what happens if you try to join text and a number without using the TEXT function. In this case, we’re using the ampersand (&) to concatenate a text string, a space (" "), and a value with =A2&" "&B2.

As you can see, Excel removed the formatting from the date in cell B2. In the next example, you'll see how the TEXT function lets you apply the format you want.

Our updated formula is:

• Cell C2:=A2&" "&TEXT(B2,"mm/dd/yy") - Date format

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a new line (line break) with the TEXT function, like I can with Alt+Enter in a cell?

Yes, but it takes a few steps. First, select the cell or cells where you want this to happen and use Ctrl+1 to bring up the Format > Cells dialog box, then Alignment > Text control > check the Wrap Text option. Next, adjust your completed TEXT function to include the ASCII function CHAR(10) where you want the line break. You might need to adjust your column width depending on how the final result aligns.

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In this case, we used: ="Today is: "&CHAR(10)&TEXT(TODAY(),"mm/dd/yy")

See Also

Create or delete a custom number format

Convert numbers stored as text to numbers

All Excel functions (by category)