Excel Scientific Notation: Fix Numbers Showing as E+

Excel scientific notation is the format that turns a long number like 123456789012 into 1.23457E+11. It happens because the default General format can't show 12 or more digits, so it shortens them. The fix is usually one format change, but long IDs such as card or account numbers need more care, because Excel can't store more than 15 digits as a number. This guide explains both, so you fix the display without losing data.

Why Excel shows numbers as E+#

Every new cell uses the General format. General shows numbers with up to 11 digits as they are, but switches to scientific notation for numbers with 12 or more digits. It can also do this for shorter numbers when the column is too narrow.

Scientific notation is a short way to write very large or very small numbers:

E+11 means "move the decimal point 11 places to the right". This is only the display. For numbers up to 15 digits, the full value is still in the cell: click it and look at the formula bar.

How to fix scientific notation with Format Cells#

Change the number format to Number with no decimals. This works for any value with 15 digits or fewer:

1. Select the cells or the whole column.
2. Press Ctrl+1 (Mac: ⌘1) to open Format Cells.
3. On the Number tab, choose Number and set Decimal places to 0.
4. Untick Use 1000 Separator if the value is an ID, so it doesn't show commas.
5. Click OK.

123456789012 now shows in full. If the cell fills with #### instead, the column is too narrow for every digit. Widen it by double-clicking the right edge of the column header. The guide on hash symbols in a cell covers that fix.

You can also choose Custom and type 0 as the format. The custom format 0 shows the whole number with no decimals and no separators. For more patterns, see custom number formats in Excel.

Why the last digits turn into zeros#

Excel stores numbers with 15 significant digits. Anything after the 15th digit is replaced with 0. That's a limit of how Excel stores numbers, not a display setting, so no format can bring the digits back.

This matters for credit card numbers, bank account numbers, IMEI numbers, long barcodes and order IDs from some systems. If you've already typed or imported them as numbers, the lost digits are gone. Re-enter or re-import the data as text, as shown below.

A good rule: if you'll never add, average or multiply it, it isn't really a number. Store it as text.

How to keep long IDs as text#

Text cells keep every character exactly as typed, with no scientific notation and no 15-digit limit. There are two ways:

• Format first. Select the empty cells, press Ctrl+1 (Mac: ⌘1), choose Text and click OK. Then type or paste the IDs. Formatting cells as Text after typing doesn't restore lost digits.
• Type an apostrophe. Type '4111222233334444. The apostrophe tells Excel to keep the entry as text and doesn't show in the cell.

Excel may show a small green triangle and warn "Number Stored as Text". For IDs that's what you want, so choose Ignore Error. The same trick keeps zeros at the start of codes like 00721; see how to keep leading zeros in Excel. If you later need real numbers back, the guide to numbers stored as text shows how to convert them.

How to turn a number into text with TEXT#

The TEXT function converts a number into text using a format you choose. To get every digit as text:

=TEXT(B2,"0")

With 123456789012 in B2, the result is the text 123456789012. The TEXT function guide lists the format codes. This is useful when you join an ID into a sentence or export a column to another system. When the results look right, copy them and use Paste Special > Values to replace the formulas.

TEXT can't recover digits beyond the 15th, because they were never stored. It only fixes the display of numbers that are still complete.

You can also use TEXT to show scientific notation on purpose, for example in science or engineering work: =TEXT(B2,"0.00E+00") returns 1.23E+11.

How to stop scientific notation when opening a CSV#

When you double-click a CSV file, Excel converts every column it can into numbers, and long IDs turn into E+ values with their last digits lost. Saving the file again as CSV writes the damaged values back. Import the file instead:

1. Open a blank workbook and go to Data > From Text/CSV.
2. Select the file and click Import.
3. In the preview, click Transform Data.
4. Click the ID column's header, then set Data Type to Text, and choose Replace current if asked.
5. Click Close & Load.

The IDs now arrive as text with every digit. The CSV vs XLSX comparison explains why CSV files lose formats like this.

Recent Microsoft 365 versions also have settings for this. In Excel for Windows, look under File > Options > Data > Automatic data conversion. You can turn off the option to keep the first 15 digits of long numbers and display them in scientific notation, so long numbers stay as text.

Codes that look like scientific notation#

Some codes contain a letter E between digits, such as part number 12E3 or batch 4E10. Excel reads them as scientific notation and stores 12000 and 40000000000. Use the same fixes: format the column as Text before typing, type an apostrophe first, or import the column as Text. In recent Microsoft 365 versions, the automatic data conversion settings above also include an option to stop converting digits around the letter E.

Practise it#

Number formats are tested in almost every Excel screening, and a column full of E+ values is a classic trap. Practise number formatting in a live spreadsheet, including resetting cells to General, then practise TEXT and VALUE to move numbers to text and back. Each lesson checks your answer instantly. Then try the exercise on this page and turn an E+ account number into full text.