How to Convert Numbers to Strings in Google Sheets

In this tutorial, you will learn how to convert numbers to strings in Google Sheets.

How to Convert Numbers to Strings in Google Sheets

You may need to convert numbers to strings in Google Sheets. For example, you may have a column of numbers that you want to convert to text so that you can use them in a formula.

There are a few different ways to convert numbers to strings in Google Sheets. In this guide, we will show you how to use the TO_TEXT function to convert numbers to strings. We will also show you how to use the TEXT function to convert numbers to strings in a specified format.

How to Change Numerical Values to String Values in Google Sheets

Here’s how to change numerical values to string values in Google Sheets.

Step 1

Select the cell that will return the string value of the source numerical data.

In this example, we will first use cell B2 to convert the number 42 into a string value.

Step 2

Type the TO_TEXT function and add the cell reference of the number you want to convert as the first argument.

Step 3

Hit the Enter key to evaluate the function.

In the example above, we’ve shown how the TO_TEXT function works for all types of numerical values such as dates, percentages, and decimals.

Step 4

You may also use the TEXT function to convert a number into a string of a specific format. The first argument will be the cell reference to the number to convert. The second argument will be a string that will indicate the format the text output will follow.

In the example above, we used the format pattern “0.00”.

We use 0 to force a display of zeros if a number includes fewer digits than the format specifies. For example, TEXT(42, “000.00”) produces “042.00”.

Step 5

We can also use the “#” character for our output pattern.

The “#” is similar to 0 but the function will not force the display of zeros. For example, TEXT(41.1,”###.##”) produces “42.3”.

Summary

This guide should be everything you need to convert numbers to strings in Google Sheets.

You may make a copy of this example spreadsheet to test it out on your own.