I’m having trouble with Google Sheets when I try to enter phone numbers that start with a plus sign. For example, when I type +1 555-1234 or +33 123456789, the spreadsheet automatically removes the plus symbol even though I formatted the cell as text beforehand. This is really frustrating because I need to keep those international dialing codes intact. I’ve tried different approaches but nothing seems to work properly. The built-in phone number formatting options don’t help either since they assume all country codes have the same number of digits, which isn’t true. Has anyone found a reliable solution for this problem?
here’s another trick: format the cells as text first, then copy-paste the numbers instead of typing them directly. I do this constantly with my international client database - just paste from notepad or word and sheets won’t mess with the formatting. way faster than adding apostrophes every time.
I had this exact problem managing client contact lists at my last job. Google Sheets treats the plus sign as a formula operator, even in text cells. Simple fix: add an apostrophe before the plus sign when you type the number. So instead of +1 555-1234, type '+1 555-1234. The apostrophe makes Sheets treat it as text and won’t show up in the cell. Keeps the plus sign and proper international formatting. I’ve done this with thousands of entries across different country codes - works every time.
Here’s another workaround that saved me after months of frustration: use CONCATENATE or the ampersand operator. Split your phone numbers into two columns - one for the plus sign, another for the actual number. Then combine them with =CONCATENATE(“+”,B2) or just =“+”&B2 where B2 has your phone number. This way you control the formatting and Google Sheets won’t treat the plus as math. I’ve used this importing huge datasets from our CRM and it keeps the international format perfect every time.