How to Keep 0 Before a Phone Number in Excel (6 Methods)

Method 1- Apply Text Format to Retain 0 Before a Phone Number in Excel

• Highlight all the cells where you want to keep the numbers with a leading zero.
• Go to the HOME on the ribbon.
• From the Number group, select the Text format.

All the numbers will now be stored as text in these cells.

Method 2 – Use Apostrophes to Keep the Leading Zeros of a Phone Number in Excel

• Insert an apostrophe (‘) in a cell.
• Type the numbers starting with a zero (0).
• Hit the ENTER button.

Method 3 – Format Cells to Keep Leading Zero of a Phone Number in Excel

• Select all the cells where you want to insert numbers.
• Press CTRL + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box.
• From the pop-up list, select Format Cells.

From the Format Cells dialog box:

• Select the Number ribbon.
• Navigate to the Text from the Category list.
• Hit OK.

Read More: How to Format Phone Number with Extension in Excel

Method 4 – Apply Custom Format to Keep the Preceding Zero in a Phone Number in Excel

• Highlight the cells where numbers with zeros will be inserted.
• Press CTRL+1 to open the Format Cells dialog box.
• Select the Number ribbon.
• Click on Custom under the Category list.
• Insert the following formula and click OK.

The hashes (#) define the number of digits that you want to allow after the leading zero.

This makes 11 digits in total. Now, if you insert 11 digit number beginning with a zero, Excel will keep the zero.

Read More: How to Remove Parentheses from Phone Numbers in Excel

Method 5 – Use CONCATENATE Function to put 0 Before a Phone Number in Excel

To apply the CONCATENATE function,

• Select cell C5 and enter the following formula:

• Hit ENTER.

To apply the same formula to all the cells, drag the Fill Handle icon from cell C5 to C14.

Read More: Excel Formula to Change Phone Number Format

Method 6 – Use Hyphens, Dots, or Spaces to Restore the Leading 0 in Phone Number in Excel

You can insert either Hyphens (-), Dots (.), or Spaces between numbers in Excel. If you separate the numbers using these symbols, then Excel won’t remove the zeros from the start of the numbers.

Read More: How to Format Phone Number with Dashes in Excel

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