XL: General Number Format Applied to Improper Time Entry

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This article was previously published under Q213901

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SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you enter a time into a cell, the cell may change to the General number format, and display a decimal number.

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CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you enter an improper time value, where the minutes are greater than or equal to 60. For example if you type 5:62, the cell displays "0.251389"

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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, change the cell to the Time number format:

Click to select the cell.
On the Format menu, click Cells.
On the Number tab, click Time in the Category list, and then click the time format you want in the Type list. Click OK.

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

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For more information about number formatting, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type format numbers in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

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