# Formatting Numbers as Text

/text/scalc/guide/text_numbers.xhp
numbers;entering as text
text formats; for numbers
formats; numbers as text
cell formats; text/numbers
formatting;numbers as text
mw deleted "numbers; entering without..." and changed "numbers;as text"
Formatting Numbers as Text
You can format numbers as text in $[officename] Calc. Open the context menu of a cell or range of cells and choose Format Cells - Numbers, then select "Text" from the Category list. Any numbers subsequently entered into the formatted range are interpreted as text. The display of these "numbers" is left-justified, just as with other text.
If you have already entered normal numbers in cells and have afterwards changed the format of the cells to "Text", the numbers will remain normal numbers. They will not be converted. Only numbers entered afterwards, or numbers which are then edited, will become text numbers.
If you decide to enter a number directly as text, enter an apostrophe (') first. For example, for years in column headings, you can enter '1999, '2000 and '2001. The apostrophe is not visible in the cell, it only indicates that the entry is to be recognized as a text. This is useful if, for example, you enter a telephone number or postal code that begins with a zero (0), because a zero (0) at the start of a sequence of digits is removed in normal number formats.
Format - Cells - Numbers