##### in Excel — Column too narrow or negative date

What it looks like

• A cell shows a row of hash marks
• The value appears when you widen the column
• A date calculation shows ##### even after widening

Why ##### happens

• The column is too narrow for a number, date or text value.
• A date or time calculation produced a negative value.
• The cell is formatted as a date but contains a negative number.
• A large number is formatted with too many decimal places.

How to fix #####

1. 1

   Widen the column

   Double-click the right edge of the column header to auto-fit. This fixes the majority of ##### cases.

2. 2

   Fix negative dates

   Excel's 1900 date system cannot display a negative date. Swap the subtraction order or use ABS if the direction is not important.

   =ABS(B2-A2)

3. 3

   Change the number format

   If the value is a large number, reduce the decimal places or use a format such as 0.0E+00 for very large values.

A safer formula pattern

=ABS(B2-A2)

Check it in your own workbook

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