Sorting numbers with different placeholders.

[whitekerj]

I have a correspondent that frequently emails me with a list of numbers she needs to sort. The numbers range from 39 to 400.

When she is sorting, the sort places 39 right before 390, 391, 392, etc. How do I format the numbers/column so that I do not have to physically add a leading zero each time? Thanks!

[jasoncw]

It looks like the file you receive is coming formatted as text. First check the cell formatting to ensure it is not specified as Text. Once you do this, you will need a helper column and use =VALUE(A1), and copy the formula down. Then select Edit > Paste Special > Values.