VALUE function

Excel VALUE Function is a handy tool for converting text to numbers in Microsoft Excel. It’s like a magic wand that helps you transform a string of characters that looks like a number into an actual numerical value that you can use in your calculations. Let’s break it down for you:

Syntax

=VALUE(text)

Arguments

textThe text you want to convert into a number.

How to use

The VALUE function is quite straightforward. You simply provide it with the text that you want to convert into a number. Here’s how you can use it:

This formula will return the number 12345, which was originally stored as text.

Here, the VALUE function will convert the text “3.14” into the number 3.14, making it ready for calculations.

Even when there’s a currency symbol, the VALUE function can transform it into a number, so you get 50.25.

But be careful when using the VALUE function. If you try to convert text that isn’t a number, you’ll get an error. For example:

This will result in an error because “Hello” cannot be converted into a number.

So, the VALUE function is an excellent tool for changing text into numbers in Excel, making your data more versatile and ready for mathematical operations.

Tomasz Decker is an Excel specialist, skilled in data analysis and financial modeling.