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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-16T20:48:08+00:00

How can I convert text representations of numbers into Excel numbers, especially negative values?

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How can I convert text representations of numbers into Excel numbers, especially negative values? For example, the string “9,669.34” (without quotes) should become the number 9,669.34 and the string “2,553.57-” (again, without quotes) should become the number (2,553.57).

When I used the formula =SUBSTITUTE(A1,CHAR(160),"")+0, it worked well, but only for positive values. I received the result #VALUE! for all negative values.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    For (2,553.57), you can use VALUE, such as VALUE("(2,553.57)").

    Excel doesn’t seem to recognize 2,553.57- as a valid number when it is a string, so assuming you have a value of “2,553.57-” in A1, you would have to do a little more work:

    =VALUE(IF(RIGHT(A2,1)=”-“,”-“&SUBSTITUTE(A2,”-“,””)))

    EDIT

    =VALUE(IF(RIGHT(A2,1)="-","-"&SUBSTITUTE(A2,"-",""),A2))

    From the Microsoft site:

    • Text can be in any of the constant number, date, or time formats recognized
      by Microsoft Excel. If text is not in one of these formats, VALUE returns the
      #VALUE! error value.
    • You do not generally need to use the VALUE function in a formula because Excel
      automatically converts text to numbers as necessary. This function is provided
      for compatibility with other spreadsheet programs.

    More information can be found at Microsoft’s website: Value Function

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