Data Types in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a powerful and versatile spreadsheet application that can store and manipulate different types of data. Data types are the categories of values that can be entered or calculated in a cell, such as text, numbers, dates, boolean values, errors, arrays, and others. Understanding data types and how to format them is essential for creating clear and accurate spreadsheets.

Text

Text is a data type that consists of a string of characters, such as words, sentences, names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Text can also include numbers or symbols that are not meant to be calculated, such as zip codes, product codes, IDs, etc. Text is usually left-aligned by default in Google Sheets.

Plain Text

Plain text is a format that displays the value as text, even if it looks like a number or a date. For example, if you enter 001234 in a cell formatted as plain text, it will not be converted to 1234 as a number. Plain text is useful when you want to preserve the exact appearance of the data, without any automatic formatting or interpretation by Google Sheets.

To format a cell as plain text, you can either:

Select the cell and go to Format > Number > Plain text.
Enter an apostrophe (') before the value in the cell. For example, '001234.

Numbers

Numbers are a data type that represents numeric values that can be used for calculations, such as integers, decimals, fractions, percentages, scientific notation, etc. Numbers are usually right-aligned by default in Google Sheets.

Number

Number is a format that displays the value as a decimal number with up to 15 digits of precision and a scale from +308 to -308. You can also choose how many decimal places to show and whether to use a thousands separator. For example, if you enter 123456789.123456789 in a cell formatted as number with two decimal places and a comma separator, it will be displayed as 123,456,789.12.

To format a cell as number, you can either:

Select the cell and go to Format > Number > Number.
Use the Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal buttons on the toolbar to adjust the number of decimal places.
Use the 123 button on the toolbar to toggle the comma separator.

Percent

Percent is a format that displays the value as a percentage with up to 15 digits of precision and a scale from +308 to -308. You can also choose how many decimal places to show. For example, if you enter 0.123456789 in a cell formatted as percent with two decimal places, it will be displayed as 12.35%.

To format a cell as percent, you can either:

Select the cell and go to Format > Number > Percent.
Use the % button on the toolbar.

Scientific

Scientific is a format that displays the value as a scientific notation with up to 15 digits of precision and a scale from +308 to -308. You can also choose how many decimal places to show. For example, if you enter 123456789 in a cell formatted as scientific with two decimal places, it will be displayed as 1.23E+08.

To format a cell as scientific, you can either:

Select the cell and go to Format > Number > Scientific.
Enter the value in the cell using the E notation. For example, 1.23E+08.

Currency

Currency is a format that displays the value as a monetary amount with up to 15 digits of precision and a scale from +308 to -308. You can also choose which currency symbol to use and how many decimal places to show. For example, if you enter 123456789.123456789 in a cell formatted as currency with US dollar symbol and two decimal places, it will be displayed as $123,456,789.12.

To format a cell as currency, you can either:

Select the cell and go to Format > Number > Currency.
Use the More Formats > More currencies option to select from various currency symbols.

Date and Time

Date and time are data types that represent specific points or durations in time. Google Sheets can recognize various formats of date and time inputs and display them according to your locale settings. For example, if you enter 1/2/2023 in a cell formatted as date in US locale, it will be displayed as January 2nd 2023.

To format a cell as date or time, you can either:

Select the cell and go to Format > Number > Date or Time.
Use the More Formats > More date and time formats option to customize the display format.

Boolean Values

Boolean values are a data type that represent logical values of true or false. Boolean values are often used as conditions or outputs of formulas or functions, such as IF, AND, OR, etc. Boolean values are usually center-aligned by default in Google Sheets.

To enter a boolean value in a cell, you can either:

Type TRUE or FALSE in the cell (case-insensitive).
Use a formula or function that returns a boolean value.

Errors

Errors are a data type that indicate something is wrong with the data or the formula in a cell. Errors are usually displayed as a text code starting with a hash sign (#), such as #N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!, etc. Errors are usually center-aligned by default in Google Sheets.

To avoid or fix errors in a cell, you can either:

Check the data or the formula for any mistakes or inconsistencies.
Use error-handling functions, such as IFERROR, ISERROR, etc.

Arrays

Arrays are a data type that represent a collection of values arranged in rows and columns. Arrays are often used as inputs or outputs of array formulas or functions, such as ARRAYFORMULA, SORT, FILTER, etc. Arrays are usually displayed as multiple cells with the same formatting as the original cell.

To enter an array in a cell, you can either:

Use curly braces ({}) to enclose the values separated by commas (,) for columns and semicolons (;) for rows. For example, {1,2;3,4}.
Use an array formula or function that returns an array.

Other

Other is a data type that represents any value that does not fall into any of the above categories. For example, empty cells, custom functions, images, drawings, etc. Other values are usually displayed as they are entered or inserted in Google Sheets.

To format a cell as other, you can either:

Leave the cell blank or enter any value that is not recognized as text, number, date, time, boolean, error, or array.
Use the Insert menu to insert an image, drawing, chart, etc.

Applying What We Learned

Now that we have learned about the different data types and how to format them in Google Sheets, we can apply this knowledge to create clear and accurate spreadsheets. Here are some tips and best practices to follow:

Use appropriate data types and formats for your data. For example, use text for names and addresses, numbers for calculations and measurements, dates and times for events and schedules, etc.
Be consistent with your data types and formats across your spreadsheet. For example, use the same date format for all dates, the same currency symbol for all monetary amounts, etc.
Avoid mixing different data types and formats in the same column or row. For example, do not use text and numbers in the same column, or dates and times in the same row.
Use formulas and functions that match your data types and formats. For example, use SUM for numbers, CONCATENATE for text, DATEVALUE for dates, etc.
Check for errors and fix them as soon as possible. For example, use error-handling functions to handle missing or invalid data.

I hope this answer has helped you understand data types in Google Sheets better. If you want to learn more about Google Sheets features and functions ¹ ² ³, you can check out these links.

Data Types in Google Sheets