Stop auto correction of number into a date

I don't doubt that in many (possibly even most) cases, when someone enters 11/4, they want it to be a date.  In most cases, it is very useful.  That is irrelevant.  The point of this is that you should have the option to turn this off, in exactly the same manner as you can turn off auto-correct.  There is literally no reason for it not to be included as an option.  That is the point I'm trying to make.

Regardless, the question has been answered.  No one here answering these questions wrote the part of Excel that handles the auto-formatting of a text string to a date, so any complaining here would be useless.  Thank you for your time in answering my question.

So let me get this straight.  Instead of coming out and stating the answer ("No, you can't simply turn the auto correct off"), you avoid answering the question, and state 1) How he is wrong for even wanting to do it in the first place,that despite the inconvenience, Microsoft knows better then him and is forcing him to use workarounds, and

***What a strange interpretation of the answer provided.  It certainly was not my intention to imply that TimSmith14 was wrong to want to turn off the auto-formatting of the data entered.  I will concede to making assumptions and attempting to clarify.*There is a means of allowing the entry of data that is not a date to remain as a fraction, but if will lead to evaluation of the fraction, displaying it as a decimal value.  This may not be as required, who can tell, one may assume that is not what is required.  The data can be presented as a fraction, with the formatting set to suit needs. However, if the data is to remain in its original form for example 8/12 instead of 2/3, the answer is no, you cannot switch of the auto-format.Without sufficient details of what data is being entered, how it is processed and the specifications of what must be displayed, I try to provide and answer that will match assumed needs. This is not a technical support forum, for which one might expect to pay a significant reimbursement for the time taken to issue a reply; rather it is a social forum in which end users with some experience attempt to help others in a philanthropic spirit. The tone of your response indicates a bitter resentment for those of us who would try to provide such help. If TimSmith14 felt that the reply he received did not meet his needs he could have elaborated further. However, unless you are TimARoseByAnyOtherNameWouldSmellAsSmith14 then you too appear to be making several assumptions, one of which is Tim’s deep resentment for Microsoft’s attempt to provide efficient data entry formatting.**A hostile tone will not endear you to others with in the community. Whilst emotive rants may have their place in other parts of the Internet they provide little in the way of motivation for others to join in and share their experience in my humble opinion.**As a matter of interest, within earlier versions of Excel Tools -> Options ->Transition ->check Transition Formula Entry will provide the decimal equivalent, setting the spreadsheet to display fractions up to three digits may provide a suitable solution with the caveat stated above.  This may or maynot be available in Office 2007, I am currently unable to verify whether this is the case.> 2) How to implement these workarounds, despite the fact that he clearly states in his question that he knows of them already.> > > 3/88 is NOT a date!  (Excel changes it to 3/1/88)  If you want to get technical about it, 1/4 is not a date either (nor a number), its a text string.  It is inconsistent to change 11/4 into  4-Nov (11/4/2010) while 111/4 remains unchanged.  What's the difference> between those two text strings?  One character.  It is simple arrogance to assume that because a text string fits into a common format, that it must be interpreted as that format WITHOUT GIVING THE SIMPLE OPTION OF TURNING THIS AUTO-FORMATING OFF!  It is frustrating> that this happens.  It is even more frustrating to know that it is trivially simple to include this as an option, and the reason that this was never included as an option is pure arrogance.> > > Since this question was never officially answered, I will ask it again:> > > Is there a way to turn off the auto-formatting "feature" in which Excel automatically changes anything that it thinks looks like a date into a date (registry hack, software patch, ANYTHING).>

Pat PS If you found this useful please vote. Thank you:¬)

As a matter of interest, within earlier versions of Excel Tools -> Options ->Transition ->check Transition Formula Entry will provide the decimal equivalent, setting the spreadsheet to display fractions up to three digits may provide a suitable solution with the caveat stated above.  This may or maynot be available in Office 2007, I am currently unable to verify whether this is the case.

This is pure gold right here.  I have looked for this in the past and forgot how to do it again.

I'm still running Excel 2002:

Tools -> Options -> Transitions Tab -> (check box on) Transition Formula Entrys.

Also Excel Starter 2010 on Windows 7

Options -> Advanced -> (check box on) Transition Formula Entrys (all the way down at the bottom).

When pasting data from the internet, like heights, win-loss data, anything with hyphens or dashes, it will act as if the cells are math opperations, and will evaluate a height of 6-4 as 2, but a simple search for = and replace with ' will produce the desired data.

Microsoft needs to add this to the help in Excel, this is really the beginning of ineptitude that Microsoft products thrust upon me while working in Excel and Word.

Now to make it easier to find:

keywords: stop turn off I hate excel auto date format hyphen slash / -