How to change Format of a Cell to Text using VBA

calendar_today Asked Nov 25, 2011
thumb_up 55 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

To answer your direct question, it is: Range("A1").NumberFormat = "@" Or Cells(1,1).NumberFormat = "@" However, I suggest making changing the format to what you actually want…. This is a prose walkthrough, ranked #7th of 303 by community upvote score, from 2011.


The Problem (Q-score 29, ranked #7th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2011

I have a “duration” column in an Excel sheet. Its cell format always changes — I want convert the duration from minutes to seconds, but because of the cell formatting it always gives me different answers.

I was thinking that before doing the conversion I could convert that cell format to text so that it will consider that as text value and not try to auto-format it.

Currently I am copying all data into Notepad and then saving it back to the Excel sheet to remove all of the previous format. Is there a way to automate setting a cell’s formatting to text using VBA?

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 303 Excel VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds elite answer (top 10 %%) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — elite answer (top 10 %%) (+55)

Verbal answer — walkthrough without a code block

Note: the verified answer is a prose walkthrough. If you need a runnable sample, check Excel VBA entries ranked in the top 10 of the same archive.

To answer your direct question, it is:

Range("A1").NumberFormat = "@"

Or

Cells(1,1).NumberFormat = "@"

However, I suggest making changing the format to what you actually want displayed. This allows you to retain the data type in the cell and easily use cell formulas to manipulate the data.


When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)

A top-10 Excel VBA pattern — why it still holds up

Ranks #7th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive. The only pattern ranked immediately above it is “How to clear the entire array?” — compare both if you’re choosing between approaches.

What changed between 2011 and 2026

The answer is 15 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this answer the top decile of Excel VBA Q&A?
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Answer score +55 vs the Excel VBA archive median ~18; this entry is elite. The score plus 29 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+29) means the asker and 54 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

The answer has no code block — how do I turn it into a snippet?
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Use the walkthrough above as a checklist, then open a top-10 Excel VBA archive entry for a concrete starting template you can adapt.

This answer is 15 years old. Is it still relevant in 2026?
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Published 2011, which is 15 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The Excel VBA object model has had no breaking changes in that window. Three things to re-test: (1) blocked macros on downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), (2) 64-bit API declarations (PtrSafe, LongPtr), (3) any shift toward Office Scripts for web scenarios.

Which Excel VBA pattern ranks just above this one at #6?
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The pattern one rank above is “How to clear the entire array?”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 29, Answer-score 55, original post 2011, ranked #7th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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