"Automatic Data Conversion” settings are gone

Question

"Automatic Data Conversion” settings are gone

Jesper Hansen 25

I had the “Automatic Data Conversion” settings before. It allowed you to disable the removal of leading zeros, displaying long numbers as scientific notation, converting letters and numbers to dates, etc. I can no longer find this section. How to get the settings back?

I'm using

User's image

But when i go into settings the Automatic Data Conversion is missing?

User's image

Answer accepted by question author

0 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Demi-N 12,770 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello @Jesper Hansen,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Forum and thank you for your question.

Based on your description, I understand that the “Automatic Data Conversion” setting is missing from your Excel application. To help troubleshoot this issue, please try the steps below:

First, please repair your Office installation. Right‑click the Start button in the lower‑left corner of your screen and choose Installed apps.

User's image

Find your Microsoft 365 or Office product, click the ellipsis (…), and select Modify.

User's image

You will see two options:

Quick Repair: This runs quickly and fixes most common issues. Try this first.
Online Repair: This is a more thorough repair that requires an internet connection. It essentially re-downloads parts of the installation. If Quick Repair doesn't work, use this option.

User's image

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair process. After it's done, restart your computer and try opening Excel again.

Here is the reference: Repair an Office application - Microsoft Support

If the repair process does not restore the missing setting, please try re‑generating the Office registry key. Please note that modifying the registry can affect your system, so it is recommended that you back up the key before making any changes.

Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and select OK to open the Registry Editor.

User's image

Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0

User's image

Rename the 16.0 folder to 16.0-old, then restart your PC. After the restart, open Excel, sign in with your Microsoft 365 account, and check whether the “Automatic Data Conversion” section has reappeared.

User's image

If you encounter any difficulties while performing these steps, please let me know, I will be happy to continue assisting you.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Kind regard

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Demi-N 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-17T07:08:49.7833333+00:00

Hi @Jesper Hansen,

Just checking in to see if you need any further assistance. If you have any follow-up questions or new updates, feel free to let me know. I'm here to help!
Jesper Hansen 25 Reputation points

2026-02-17T09:08:40.3233333+00:00

Hi again
I have tried these steps and it works :-)
But first time i open an csv file that contains 0 the fault is back, and when i go to the settings i can see the “Automatic Data Conversion” is missing again :-(
Demi-N 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-17T15:24:14.1766667+00:00

Hi @Jesper Hansen,

Thank you very much for your reply. I will need to take some additional time to further research this matter and consult with the relevant teams to ensure I provide you with the most accurate guidance. I will follow up with you on Thursday with an update.

Thank you sincerely for your patience and understanding while I look into this for you.

Kind regards,
Demi-N 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-19T14:25:33.15+00:00

Hi @Jesper Hansen,

Thank you for your patience while we continue troubleshooting this issue.

To help me better understand what is happening on your side, could you please let me know which specific step you tried that worked successfully? This will help us identify what is functioning correctly and what still needs attention.

Additionally, I would like to confirm whether the issue occurs with only that one CSV file, or if it happens with any CSV file you attempt to use.

Also, if you have tried repairing Office or repeating the previous steps, could you let me know whether the situation improved afterwards? Understanding whether the behavior changes after repair or retry will help us determine the next steps more accurately.

Any additional details you can provide will be extremely helpful. Thank you again for your cooperation, and I look forward to your update.

Kind regards,
Demi-N 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-20T08:35:12.81+00:00

Hi @Jesper Hansen,

Just checking in to see if you need any further assistance. If you have any follow-up questions or new updates, feel free to let me know. I'm here to help!
Jesper Hansen 25 Reputation points

2026-02-20T10:43:08.8966667+00:00

Hi again

I have tried all of the things you wrote i should try, and somehow it seems to work now :-)

I'm not sure if the file i tested with the other day was corrupt or something but all other files that contais an 0 in front og a number is now working

So i think we could close this case and i'm very happy for your help

Thanks and have an nice weekend
Demi-N 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-20T10:50:15.1266667+00:00

Hi @Jesper Hansen,

Thank you for your feedback!

If my answer helped solve your problem, it would be great if you marked it as Accepted. This makes it easier for others with similar questions to quickly find the guide. I really appreciate your support and contribution to the community!

Share via

"Automatic Data Conversion” settings are gone

0 additional answers

Your answer