Unable to format cell containing numbers in Excel 08

[pattoc]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

I am a brand new Mac user, and just picked up my new desktop about 2 weeks ago (2/2008) . I am a bit frustrated as I am setting up a spreadsheet and am unable to apply many of the formatting options to numbers in the sheet.

I can format text (alignment, bold, underline, font size, etc.) and I can also change font size, type, bold, underline for the cells containing numbers. However, what I cannot do is adjust the alignment, or even apply styles such as currency, date, percentage, increase/decrease decimal, etc. for these cells.

Oddly enough, I can't seem to find any mention of a similar issue ANYWHERE online. Am I doing something wrong? I would hope that I would be able to apply formatting to numbers in Excel on my new Mac the same way I can on a PC.

Please help!

-p

 

[Niek Otten]

Your numbers are probably text. Formatting as number afterwards is not enough; you have to re-enter the number.
If there are many: Format an empty cell as number. Copy. Select your "numbers", Paste Special, check Add.

--
Kind regards,

Niek Otten
Microsoft MVP - Excel

| Version: 2008
| Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
| Processor: intel
|
| I am a brand new Mac user, and just picked up my new desktop about 2 weeks ago (2/2008) . I am a bit frustrated as I am setting
up a spreadsheet and am unable to apply many of the formatting options to numbers in the sheet.
|
| I can format text (alignment, bold, underline, font size, etc.) and I can also change font size, type, bold, underline for the
cells containing numbers. However, what I cannot do is adjust the alignment, or even apply styles such as currency, date,
percentage, increase/decrease decimal, etc. for these cells.
|
| Oddly enough, I can't seem to find any mention of a similar issue ANYWHERE online. Am I doing something wrong? I would hope that
I would be able to apply formatting to numbers in Excel on my new Mac the same way I can on a PC.
|
| Please help!
|
| -p

 

[Hector Quemada]

I tried this solution and it doesn't work. This is a serious problem--I don't see how this version of Excel could have been released without this problem being noticed. Is there a fix coming out soon, or is there a setting on Excel I am missing. I am a long-time Windows Excel user, and this has never been a problem when using that version. Also, not a problem on Mac Numbers and NeoOffice either.

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

I tried this solution and it doesn't work. This is a serious problem--I don't
see how this version of Excel could have been released without this problem
being noticed. Is there a fix coming out soon, or is there a setting on Excel
I am missing. I am a long-time Windows Excel user, and this has never been a
problem when using that version. Also, not a problem on Mac Numbers and
NeoOffice either.

What do you mean "unable to format"? Do you get an error? What happens when
you try?

 

[pattoc]

oddly enough, whatever the cause of this issue was has since been resolved. i saved/closed the spreadsheet i was having problems with, and the next day when i opened a new blank spreadsheet, everything was working fine. all of the formatting options have since reacted properly to whatever setting i apply. i did send the spreadsheet i was having issues with to a pc running Vista with office 2008 and still could not get the formatting to work.

would consider myself an advanced Excel user (i work with it 8 hours a day on a PC) and when I said that i was unable to format (meaning change from a number to currency, or from number with 0 decimal points to a number with 2 decimal points, or even just left justify to center justify, etc.) i mean i tried EVERYTHING. at the time, the only formatting that worked was bold/underline/size. weird. but like i said, working for me now.

i'm sorry to hear that others are experiencing it. i spent close to an hour trying to figure it out and another hour researching it online before i finally submitted my post. i have since received one of those auto updates for Mac Office, so hopefully i won't come across this issue again.

-p

 

[pattoc]

bob,

forgot to mention... no error message, just unresponsive. i would select a cell that, say, was currently displayed at 10. then i would go to the formatting palette, where it read "general" under the "number" format section, and select "currency". nothing. just stayed the way it was. no two decimal places and a $ sign at the front. nada. under "alignment and spacing", i would select center, and nothing would happen. the number remained unaffected by whatever characteristics i applied, with the exception of font type, size, bold, italicize, and underline.

-p

 

[Marcello Picchi]

I have a similar problem.
When I change the format, it makes the cells go crazy.
If I tipe 1500, it appears as $150.000,00 in currency format.
The software is adding 2 zeros to my numbers...
What may be happening?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

I have a similar problem.
When I change the format, it makes the cells go crazy.
If I tipe 1500, it appears as $150.000,00 in currency format.
The software is adding 2 zeros to my numbers...
What may be happening?

Check Preferences/Edit. Do you have the "Display this number of decimal
places" checkbox checked, with -2 in the input box?

If not, does this happen with any other number format?