Formulas do not recognize numbers

[lynnw]

I am trying to find the average for a list of numbers. These numbers were pulled from a database, run through a mailmerge program and then given back to me. They look like normal numbers, and don't seem to have any odd formatting, but the AVERAGE function does not seem to see them, and returns a #DIV/0! error. When I click on the cells as if I am going to change the data, the numbers are suddenly recognized by the formula as if they have changed format somehow.

Can anybody help? IS there some way I can change the format of these numbers, I don't want to have to double click on thousands of cells to miraculously change them to be recognized....

???HELP

[Ken Hudson]

Hi Lynn,
Highlight the entire column.
Go to Data > Text to Columns...
Click Next > Next > Finish
Does that work?

--
Ken Hudson


"lynnw" wrote:

>
> I am trying to find the average for a list of numbers. These numbers
> were pulled from a database, run through a mailmerge program and then
> given back to me. They look like normal numbers, and don't seem to have
> any odd formatting, but the AVERAGE function does not seem to see them,
> and returns a #DIV/0! error. When I click on the cells as if I am going
> to change the data, the numbers are suddenly recognized by the formula
> as if they have changed format somehow.
>
> Can anybody help? IS there some way I can change the format of these
> numbers, I don't want to have to double click on thousands of cells to
> miraculously change them to be recognized....
>
> ???HELP
>
>
> --
> lynnw
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