How do I format phone numbers in Excel?

Select the column, press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells, choose Custom, and enter a pattern such as (000) 000-0000. This changes how the digits display without altering the stored value. For phone numbers with leading zeros or a plus sign, set the cells to Text format first so Excel does not strip them.

What is E.164 phone number format?

E.164 is the international telephone numbering standard from the ITU. A valid E.164 number starts with a plus sign, followed by the country calling code and the subscriber number, with no spaces or punctuation, up to a maximum of 15 digits — for example +14155552671. CRMs and SMS providers like Twilio require E.164.

How do I remove spaces and dashes from phone numbers in Excel?

Use nested SUBSTITUTE in a helper column: =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",""),"-",""),"(","") and continue for each character you want gone. This leaves only digits and a leading plus. Then copy the helper column and Paste Special → Values back over the original if you want to keep the result.

Why does Excel delete the leading zero or plus sign?

Excel treats phone numbers as numeric values by default, so it drops leading zeros and reads a leading plus as a formula operator. Format the cells as Text before pasting your data, or prefix each entry with an apostrophe, so Excel preserves the number exactly as typed.

How do I format phone numbers in Google Sheets?

Format the column as plain text via Format → Number → Plain text, then clean it with the same SUBSTITUTE or REGEXREPLACE functions. =REGEXREPLACE(A2, "[^0-9+]", "") strips everything except digits and the plus sign, which gets you most of the way to E.164.

How to format phone numbers in Excel

To format phone numbers in Excel, set the column to Text so leading zeros and plus signs survive, strip spaces and dashes with SUBSTITUTE, then apply a custom number format or build the string with TEXT. For the E.164 standard required by CRMs, Sigmera reformats a whole phone column in one click, in your browser, with no upload.

Last updated: June 2026

Format phone numbers in Excel (the manual way)

Phone numbers are awkward in Excel because it treats them as numbers and silently drops leading zeros and plus signs. The reliable approach is to store them as text, clean out punctuation, then apply a consistent format.

1. Store numbers as text first. Select the phone column, press Ctrl + 1, and set the format to Text so leading zeros and plus signs are kept.
2. Strip unwanted characters. In a helper column, remove spaces, dashes and brackets with nested SUBSTITUTE, for example =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",""),"-","").
3. Apply a consistent format. Use Format Cells → Custom with a pattern such as (000) 000-0000 for display, or build the exact string with the TEXT function.
4. Add the country code for E.164. Prefix each cleaned number with a plus and the country calling code, for example +14155552671, so every value matches the E.164 standard.

What is E.164, and why CRMs require it

E.164 is the international telephone numbering standard published by the ITU. A valid E.164 number is a plus sign, the country calling code, then the subscriber number — no spaces or punctuation, up to a maximum of 15 digits. HubSpot, Salesforce, and SMS APIs such as Twilio reject numbers that are not in E.164, which is why standardizing the column matters before any import.

Format phone numbers in Google Sheets

Set the column to plain text via Format → Number → Plain text, then clean it with =REGEXREPLACE(A2, "[^0-9+]", ""), which strips every character except digits and the plus sign. Add the country code with a formula such as ="+1"&REGEXREPLACE(A2,"[^0-9]","") to reach E.164.

Faster way → do it in one click with the free Clean Phone Numbers tool, no upload. It standardizes a whole column to E.164, infers country codes, and previews the result before you download.

Do this in 1 click — free

Manual Excel vs Sigmera, compared

Method	Time	Handles edge cases	Skill needed
Sigmera (this tool)	Seconds, one click	E.164 output, country-code inference, live preview	None
Custom number format	A minute	Display only; drops leading zeros and plus signs	Low (menus)
SUBSTITUTE / TEXT formulas	Several minutes	Manual per-character cleanup; no country logic	Medium to high (formulas)

Frequently asked questions

How do I format phone numbers in Excel?: Select the column, press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells, choose Custom, and enter a pattern such as (000) 000-0000. This changes how the digits display without altering the stored value. For phone numbers with leading zeros or a plus sign, set the cells to Text format first so Excel does not strip them.
What is E.164 phone number format?: E.164 is the international telephone numbering standard from the ITU. A valid E.164 number starts with a plus sign, followed by the country calling code and the subscriber number, with no spaces or punctuation, up to a maximum of 15 digits — for example +14155552671. CRMs and SMS providers like Twilio require E.164.
How do I remove spaces and dashes from phone numbers in Excel?: Use nested SUBSTITUTE in a helper column: =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",""),"-",""),"(","") and continue for each character you want gone. This leaves only digits and a leading plus. Then copy the helper column and Paste Special → Values back over the original if you want to keep the result.
Why does Excel delete the leading zero or plus sign?: Excel treats phone numbers as numeric values by default, so it drops leading zeros and reads a leading plus as a formula operator. Format the cells as Text before pasting your data, or prefix each entry with an apostrophe, so Excel preserves the number exactly as typed.
How do I format phone numbers in Google Sheets?: Format the column as plain text via Format → Number → Plain text, then clean it with the same SUBSTITUTE or REGEXREPLACE functions. =REGEXREPLACE(A2, "[^0-9+]", "") strips everything except digits and the plus sign, which gets you most of the way to E.164.