Excel won't resolve formula in one column

[AL]

In one spreadsheet column, if I enter "=5+2" into a cell, it does not resolve
the formula. The value displayed is "=5+2" instead of "7". It treats every
entry as text. Other columns act normally. Cell format is the same between
bad column and good columns. It does not resolve formula no matter what the
cell format is (general, number, text, etc.). If I click on "evaluate
formula", the dialog says "The cell currently being evaluated contains a
constant.

 

[Pete Z]

I'll bet the "bad" cells started out formatted as text. If you change it to
"General" the "=5+2" will still remain. If you put your cursor at the end of
the "2" and hit return (after changing the formatting to General) i think it
will work as you wish.

Pete

 

[Ms M]

I have encountered this problem recently – since my office began converting
to Office 2007. I am still using Office 2003. I get this problem only if I
open a workbook created in 2003 and another created in Office 2007. Pete Z’s
solution works, but it can be tedious to have to repeat this for every new
calculation. If I close the 2007 workbook, the problem persists.

The best workaround I’ve found is to close Excel and open it again using
just the Excel 2003 file.

 

[AL]

Pete Z:
Thanks for your answer. It solved the problem. Digging a little more, it
seems that having the cell(s) format originally as "Text" is what caused the
problem. You would think that when you change the cell format to "General"
it would automatically fix it. But you are right that you have to put the
cursor at the end of the formula (in the formula bar) in order to force the
change to take effect. It's a nuance that can be a nuisance. Again, thanks.