# Solved: Excel, stop changing to date



## Zenoxio (Jul 18, 2006)

I have a tab delimited .txt file. One of the fields has *5-2056* in it. When I open the file in Excel, it gets changed to *May-56*. How can I stop this? I can't edit the data, and I can't format the cell (it's not an actual cell/spreadsheet).


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

If you want the 5-2056 kept as is, then do the following.
Select all the cells with data in
Click on Data, Text to Columns
Delimited, NEXT
Select the delimiters you want to apply e.g.TABS, NEXT
The 5-2056 should now be shown in its own columnand the heading should say general. If so just click on Finish
It should now be in its own columns and the 5-2056 will appear just as that.

hope that works foryou.

Come back if you need more clarity.


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## Zenoxio (Jul 18, 2006)

Thanks. General doesn't actually work (the Dates were still showing up), but I changed it to Text and it's fine.


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

Ok that was going to be one of my other suggestions, but wanted to see how you got on first.
If you are OK with the solution can you go to the top of the thread and click on the Thread Tools button and select Solved.


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