When entering numbers into Excel, zeros at the beginning of the number are removed. This can be an issue when entering phone numbers and IDs. In this article, we will cover ways to solve this problem and keep the leading zeros.
Keep the Leading Zero as you Type
If you wanted to ensure that the leading zero is kept when typing, enter a single quote before you type the number.
This instructs Excel to store the value as text and not as a number.
When you press “Enter” to confirm, a green triangle is shown in the top left corner of the cell. Excel is checking that you intended to do that or if you want to convert it to a number.
Click the diamond icon to display a list of actions. Select “Ignore Error’ to proceed and store the number as text.
The green triangle should then disappear.
