Scientific notation: remove this "feature" from Excel!

Anonymous
2023-02-24T17:56:39+00:00

Please allow users to paste phone numbers, without converting it to scientific notation. It's a shame.

Who need it? How many years people should "hack" Excel to paste numbers?

See this SuperUser post to all the pain you do to users just for a simple Ctrl+V.

I tried to format cells as text, I removed all cells, selected all cells, put Formatting, Number=>Text. After that pasted.

I saw my big numbers as bellow in ... scientific format... I hate now the scientific format.

tried it before the paste however that does not help, tried after the paste, does not help.

This is a bug: the formatted as text column should not convert anything to anything!

paste this one 1837503030608800000

If I convert this as a number, it will remove all the spaces, I don't want my spaces be removed! I want my text as it is initially.

I never in my live needed the scientific notation, however I work in IT all my live.

The Excel is kidding on itself

old complaints, https://superuser.com/a/413277/465922

any correction from MS for years !

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-02-24T18:51:13+00:00

    Here my steps

    1 FORMAT

    Image

    2 copy

    Image

    3 PASTE

    Image

    I am an Excel advanced user, this is an Excel bug, once again please see the talks in the SuperUser forum I linked in the OP.

    Afraid you can't propose a solution, as the actual version of Excel bogues.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-02-24T18:05:04+00:00

    hello, as I already mentioned, and it is mentioned in the SuperUser post, the formatting as text, does not help, nor before, nor after the paste.

    This is why I say that this is an Excel bug. Should not behave like this.

    I can't start my input with apostrophe, I copy from one big excel, and paste it in another... should I manually update the hundreds of items, or create additional columns with formulas just to paste a text as is it ?

    how even the formatting does not help, but if a number like this is kept in numeric format, it is displayed like it OK, but once converted in text format, Excel will convert it in Scientific notation, it's horrible.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-02-24T22:55:36+00:00

    We don't talk here about paste options, but of the fact, that a big number is represented in a scientific notation, and there it seem nothing to do about it in Excel actually. Please see the OP, but also the images I posted above.

    There is any "correct" paste option, or another kind of option, that could help to keep that number as is, at least, if you know, please share, but I am not sure, cause even here... "no luck"

    https://superuser.com/a/413277/465922

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  4. Andreas Killer 144.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-02-25T09:42:38+00:00

    We don't talk here about paste options, but of the fact, that a big number is represented in a scientific notation, and there it seem nothing to do about it in Excel actually. Please see the OP, but also the images I posted above.

    Images are not helpful and only lead to misinterpretations of what is actually happening during data processing. We need your file, or a sample file, to show you what kind of data you really have and what happens.

    Unfortunately, explanations are lengthy and the technical details cannot be explained in 2 sentences.

    Maybe a short video helps:

    In order for you to understand this, you need to know that numbers are only processed up to 15 digits in Excel and almost all programs in the world. Scientific notation for numbers with more digits is also common.

    The key point, and I know this is confusing, is that you can only represent larger numbers as text in Excel. And all other programs on this planet.

    And unfortunately, the cell format is also involved here, which leads to even more confusion.

    For us as humans, a number is a number because we see it on screen. But in Excel, a number on screen, can mean in fact that you have text OR a number in a cell.

    And now you also need to know that changing the cell format does NOT affect the cell content.

    A text remains as text, regardless of the cell format.

    A number remains as number, regardless of the cell format.

    Even if both look like a number to you.

    Alright, are you still with me? If so upload you file here:
    Microsoft Answers Community Public Request - Dropbox

    Or upload it on any file hoster of your choice and post the download link here.

    Then I'll look at your file and show you how it works.

    Andreas.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-02-24T18:38:36+00:00

    Try

    1. Set the format as text first.
    2. Copy your number to notepad
    3. Then paste to excel.

    Image

    Image

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