Keep excel cell format as text with “date like” data

calendar_today Asked Aug 25, 2015
thumb_up 11 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

try this ws.Cell(rowCounter, colCounter).SetValue<string>(Convert.ToString(fieldValue));. This is a prose walkthrough, ranked #252nd of 303 by community upvote score, from 2015.


The Problem (Q-score 1, ranked #252nd of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2015

This seems silly, but I haven’t been able to get my values in the format of #/#### to write as the literal string rather than becoming formatted as a date within excel.

I’m using ClosedXML to write to excel, and using the following:

// snip
IXLRangeRow tableRow = tableRowRange.Row(1);
tableRow.Cell(1).DataType = XLCellValues.Text;
tableRow.Cell(1).Value = "2/1997";
// snip

Looking at the output excel sheet I get in the cell 2/1/1997 – even though I’m setting the format as text in code, I’m getting it as a “Date” in the excel sheet – I checked this by right clicking the cell, format cell, seeing “date” as the format.

If I change things up to:

// snip
IXLRangeRow tableRow = tableRowRange.Row(1);
tableRow.Cell(1).Value = "2/1997";
tableRow.Cell(1).DataType = XLCellValues.Text;
// snip

I instead get 35462 as my output.

I just want my literal value of 2/1997 to be displayed on the worksheet. Please advise on how to correct.

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 303 Excel VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds solid answer (above median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — solid answer (above median) (+11)

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.

try this

ws.Cell(rowCounter, colCounter).SetValue<string>(Convert.ToString(fieldValue));


When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)

Ranked #252nd in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 97% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.

What changed between 2015 and 2026

The answer is 11 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.

help
Frequently Asked Questions

Is this above-median answer still worth copying?
expand_more

Answer score +11 vs the Excel VBA archive median ~4; this entry is solid. The score plus 1 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+1) means the asker and 10 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

The answer has no code block — how do I turn it into a snippet?
expand_more

Use the walkthrough above as a checklist, then open a top-10 Excel VBA archive entry for a concrete starting template you can adapt.

Published around 2015 — what’s changed since?
expand_more

Published 2015, which is 11 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 #251?
expand_more

The pattern one rank above is “The brute force method using VBA for solving an equation with nine unknown variables”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 1, Answer-score 11, original post 2015, ranked #252nd of 303 in the Excel VBA archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

excel