Numbers Wont Sum

[Dennis]

This is strange. Occasionally when I paste numers from the web and say I
select 3 cells with numbers in them they wont total down in that Auto Sum area
on the bottom right. Also a =SUM wont work for those cells. But if I retype
over them then it all works fine. Any ideas?

TIA Dennis
=========

 

[Arvi Laanemets]

Hi

They are text strings - not numbers.

Set the cell format for range with imported data to General or to Numeric.
Copy a number (NB! A number!) 1 (or 0) from elsewhere.
Select the range with imported data, and then PasteSpecial.Multiply
(PasteSpecial.Add) - press OK

 

[Bob Phillips]

This sounds as if they are being pasted as text, not numbers. When you type
them, they are then input as numbers.

--

HTH

RP
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)

 

[Nick Hodge]

Dennis

It's always possible that spurious invisible data gets brought over. This
stops Excel from seeing the data as a 'number' and can then do no
calculation on it.

You could try entering a 1 in a blank cell and copy it. Then highlight
your imported data and Edit>Paste Special...>Values+Multiply. Of course
multiplying a number by one does nothing, but it will kick Excel into
recognising them.

--
HTH
Nick Hodge
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Southampton, England
(e-mail address removed)