Numbers, text and dates — how Excel recognises each

In this lesson

1. 1. Numbers

   Excel knows three main kinds of data: numbers, text and dates.

   A number sits on the right side of its cell.

2. 2. Text

   Words are text. Text sits on the left side of its cell.

3. 3. Dates

   Type dates as year-month-day, like 2026-01-15.

   This form works the same in every country.

   Excel then knows it is a date. Inside, a date is a number.

4. 4. Spot a text number

   Look at B3. The 300 sits on the left side of the cell.

   So Excel sees it as text, not as a number. This is a text number.

   Text numbers often come from bank files. They can give wrong totals.

5. 5. Fix a text number

   The easy fix is to type the number again.

6. 6. Try it yourself

   Add one more expense in row 4.

Part of Excel Essentials. Short lessons with practice in a real spreadsheet, checked as you go.