Excel Tip of the Week

Numbers that start with a zero (such as postal codes in certain parts of the country) cause a fair amount of frustration for many people. This type of entry is called a Leading Zero. By default, leading zeros don’t display. Using the Zip Code feature only helps if all you are entering are zip codes. But what about the other numbers? Many people deal with this problem by converting the format of the cell to Text. This solution can cause other problems down the road because Text entries don’t have numeric functionality. One way to solve the problem and keep the numeric functionality is to use a Custom Number.

1.  Select the cell or group of cells that will receive the leading zero.
2. Right-click in the selected area and choose   from the menu.
3. Click the Number tab and select Custom.
4. In the Type window, enter a quotation mark, followed by a zero, followed by another quotation mark, followed by a number symbol (0# ). This customization will allow for one leading zero in each formatted cell. For entries using more than one leading zero, add additional zeros to the custom format. Example:000#

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