How to remove dashes in excel

Answer

To remove dashes in Excel, follow these methods depending on your needs:

1. Using Find and Replace

1. Select the cells where you want to remove dashes.

2. Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Shift + H (Mac) to open the Find and Replace dialog box.

3. In the Find what field, type -.

4. Leave the Replace with field empty.

5. Click Replace All.

This method instantly removes all dashes from the selected cells.

2. Using the SUBSTITUTE Function

1. Suppose cell A1 contains a value with dashes, e.g., 123-45-6789.

2. Enter the following formula in another cell:

   $=SUBSTITUTE(A1,"-","")$
   

3. Press Enter.

This formula creates a new value without dashes. Drag the formula down to apply it to multiple rows.

3. Using Flash Fill

1. Type the value without dashes in a column next to your data. For example, if 123-45-6789 is in A1, type 123456789 in B1.

2. Go to the next cell in the column (B2) and start typing the corrected value.

3. Excel will automatically suggest a pattern. Press Enter to apply the Flash Fill for all remaining cells.

4. You can also use Ctrl + E to trigger Flash Fill.

4. Using VBA (Macro) for Large Datasets

1. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.

2. Go to Insert → Module and paste this code:

   Sub RemoveDashes()

       Dim cell As Range

       For Each cell In Selection

           If Not IsEmpty(cell) Then

               cell.Value = Replace(cell.Value, "-", "")

           End If

       Next cell

   End Sub

3. Close the editor, select the range of cells, and run the macro.

This method is efficient for large datasets where formulas or Find and Replace might be too slow.

Tips and Notes

• Find and Replace modifies original data, while SUBSTITUTE keeps the original data intact.

• Flash Fill works well for predictable patterns but might fail if patterns are inconsistent.

• Always back up your data before using VBA macros.

This covers all effective ways to remove dashes in Excel, from manual to automated solutions.

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