How to convert text that looks like a number into a real number
✓ Verified in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3Turn numbers stored as text (left-aligned, won't sum) into actual numeric values.
The formula
| App | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excel | =VALUE(A2) | Or a quick trick: =A2*1 or =A2+0. |
| Google Sheets | =VALUE(A2) | Identical. |
| LibreOffice Calc | =VALUE(A2) | Identical. |
How it works
VALUE() parses a text string into a number so it can be summed and compared. =A2*1 does the same by forcing arithmetic. The reverse (number to text) is TEXT().
Verified, not just documented
We ran =VALUE(A2) in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3 (headless, with forced recalculation) and it returned 123 — exactly the expected result. Every formula here is confirmed by actually executing it.