What's new

Excel 2013

psnative

Member
Where is "undo auto format" in excel/word 2013? I used to use works, but I had to upgrade b/c they no longer support works. I think I just right clicked in works & "undo auto format" came up but I can't find it in office. I see "undo" but that does not work for it.
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
After an auto action a small box with a lightening bolt show appear at the bottom right of the area where the action took place (i.e. the range of cells). Click that and you should then see a menu that allows you to undo the auto action.

ZA010179222.gif

Undo or turn off automatic formatting - Excel - Office.com
 
OP
psnative

psnative

Member
ok, I get that now but it doesn't show up in this instance. I am in a spread sheet typing this number...0877. When I go to the next cell it takes the "0" off & no lightning box. I'll just use a "O" for now I guess.
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
Ah, that is not so much auto formatting as cell formatting and the way Excel treats numbers by dropping the lead 0. If you don't need the number to be a number for calculating but rather a string of text (such as an employee number) then you can put ' (an apostrophe) at the beginning of the number and it will be treated like a string of text leaving the leading zeros but not showing the '.
 

DOS

Active Member
If you still want to treat the value as a number instead of a string (for data manipulation or totaling). You can use Customer Formatting for the Cell(s) to create a "mask". For example: a mask of '00000' will make all values 5 digits with leading zeros (00123).
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
If you still want to treat the value as a number instead of a string (for data manipulation or totaling). You can use Customer Formatting for the Cell(s) to create a "mask". For example: a mask of '00000' will make all values 5 digits with leading zeros (00123).

I figured that might be where it was heading but started with the easy stuff first ;)
 
Top