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'). Press Ctrl+C to copy the format code, then press Cancel to dismiss the Format Cells dialog. In the example below, we selected and copied just mm/dd/yy. In this case, select everything from the Type box except the semicolon ( ) and symbol. The format code you want is now shown in the Type box. Select the format you want from the Number tab. Press Ctrl+1 ( +1 on the Mac) to bring up the Format Cells dialog. You can use the Format Cells dialog to find the other available format codes:

You can follow along, or create your own TEXT function format codes.ĭownload Excel TEXT function examples Other format codes that are available You can download an example workbook with all of the TEXT function examples you'll find in this article, plus some extras. You can change the format without a formula by pressing CTRL+1 (or +1 on the Mac), then pick the format you want from the Format Cells > Number dialog. Note: Although you can use the TEXT function to change formatting, it’s not the only way. Note this uses the TRIM function to remove the leading space with a decimal value. Today’s date in MM/DD/YY format, like 03/14/12įraction, like 1/3.

Note that Excel rounds the value to 2 decimal places. Notice the format codes within quotation marks.Ĭurrency with a thousands separator and 2 decimals, like $1,234.57. Here are some popular examples, which you can copy directly into Excel to experiment with on your own. =TEXT(Value you want to format, 'Format code you want to apply') In its simplest form, the TEXT function says: The TEXT function syntax has the following arguments:Ī numeric value that you want to be converted into text.Ī text string that defines the formatting that you want to be applied to the supplied value.

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