VALUE Formula in Excel (Table of Contents)
Excel VALUE Formula
- Usually, excel recognizes the numeric data type at the time you input the same and stores it as numeric data. Even though if numbers are stored in the text format, Excel recognizes it and changes the data type to numeric. However, there are cases, when the numbers are stored in a format unrecognizable to excel. It fails to store those values as numbers and can be left as strings only. In such cases, excel VALUE function comes to your rescue and does a decent job to convert the values into numbers.
- VALUE function in excel comes under the category of Text Functions which can be used to convert the numeric strings such as numbers, dates, time, etc. to numbers.
Syntax
Argument in VALUE Formula
text – Is a required argument. That specifies numeric strings such as numbers, dates, time, etc. which have not been recognized by excel as numeric values and hence stored as strings.
How to Use Excel VALUE Formula in Excel?
Excel VALUE Formula is very simple and easy. Let’s understand how to use the Excel VALUE Formula with some examples.
Example #1 – Convert Text into Numeric Value
Suppose you have a value stored as text in cell A2 of excel sheet as below.
You can recognize value is being stored as text by looking at its alignment. If the value is left aligned, it is stored as text. Its value is right aligned, it is stored as a number.
We will see how this string can be converted into a number using VALUE function.
Start typing VALUE Formula in cell B2.
Give the text string as an argument that you want to be stored as a numeric value. the string is stored in cell A2. Therefore, use A2 as an argument under the VALUE function.
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Complete the formula by closing the parentheses and Press Enter Key.
You can see that the value in cell B2 is right aligned. Which means, it’s been converted into a number.
Example #2 – Convert Date into Numeric Value
Suppose you have date value stored as string in cell A2 as shown in the screenshot below.
You can see that the value in cell A2 is stored as a text string through the number pane above. Now, we will see how we can convert this string into a numeric value.
Start typing VALUE Formula in cell B2.
Use cell A2 as an input to cell VALUE function. It is nothing but a text value that you wanted to convert into a numeric value.
Complete the formula by closing the parentheses and Press Enter Key.
Here, the value is stored as a sequential number. Which is nothing but the distance in terms of days from January 1, 1900. It means that May 30, 2019, is 43615 days after January 1, 1900.
Example #3 – Converting Time stored as Text into Numerical Value
Suppose you have a well formatted time value in your excel sheet. You can convert it to numeric value as well using VALUE function.
Suppose you have well formatted time value stored in cell A6 of excel sheet.
Start typing VALUE formula in cell B2.
The value you need to convert is stored in cell A2. Give A2 as an argument to VALUE function.
Complete the formula by closing the parentheses and Press Enter Key.
You can see the converted time value in cell B2 of excel sheet. However, you will not frequently use this part of converting date values to numeric value. But, it is good to have an idea of the same as it is useful to manipulate the time values (like, when you need to subtract the two-time values this conversion will be helpful).
Example #4 – VALUE Formula to do Mathematical Operations
Like we do with actual numbers, mathematical operations are also possible with the text formatted numerical values using VALUE formula. Let’s see how we can do this.
Suppose you have two text formatted numeric values as shown in the cells below
Start typing VALUE Formula in Cell B3.
Use B1 as an input argument to value function and close the parentheses to complete the formula.
Use additional operator which we use to add two or more numbers after first VALUE Formula.
Use VALUE formula again after the additional operator and this time give cell B2 as input to it.
Press Enter Key to see the output for this expression.
Things to Remember About VALUE Formula in Excel
- Excel VALUE function converts the text string into numeric values
- It also can be used to convert the formatted text as Date or Time into numeric Values.
- If the text you are about to convert into a numeric value is not been store explicitly (in any excel cell). You should make sure that it is being enclosed in double quotations or single quotations while using as an argument under VALUE function. Because, if not done, it causes #NAME! error in the VALUE formula.
- You should not use any alphabetical letters which are not convertible into numeric values as an argument to VALUE function. Because this formula can convert only those strings to numeric which are actually numeric but mistakenly stored as texts. If you give alphabets as an argument, the formula will give #VALUE! error.
- Microsoft Excel automatically identifies the type of data while you input it. Therefore, the VALUE function is not explicitly required.
- This function is ideal in situations where you have programs compatible with excel spreadsheet data.
- It can process any negative or positive numeric value stored as a string.
- It can convert the fraction values as well into numeric values which actually are stored as text by mistake.
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