Buzz
When entering the digit 0 in Google Sheets, especially in fields such as ID numbers, phone numbers, various card codes,... leading zeros are automatically stripped off. To overcome this challenge, you can apply some techniques for entering the digit 0 in Google Sheets, as outlined below.
Methods for Entering the Digit 0 in Google Sheets
Method 1: Add the ' character before the number sequence
The quickest way to input the digit 0 in Google Sheets without it being removed at the beginning of the sequence is to add the character ' before the number sequence. Even though this character is added, it won't be displayed with the number sequence when you press Enter to complete the input.
Example
We can observe that student ID codes, if entered without the ' character at the beginning, will be stripped off.
Even the sequence with the ' character added won't display this character upon completing the number input.
Method 2: Text Formatting
Another way to input the digit 0 in Google Sheets is to format the cell as text.
Step 1: Select all cells where you want to input student ID codes with 0 at the beginning, then on the toolbar, choose the tool with the icon 123
Step 2: Choose Plain Text to format the text for the selected cells
Step 3: Enter the code as usual
A useful trick when using Excel or Google Sheets is how to convert numbers to text in Excel. Many scenarios require you to convert numbers to text in Excel, and in those cases, you can easily accomplish that.
Above is the guide on how to input the digit 0 in Google Sheets. We hope that through this article, you won't face obstacles while entering information about phone numbers, ID numbers, or any data with 0 at the beginning. If you have any other methods, feel free to share with us.
