Prohibiting Single-Digit Entries in a Cell

Rachel is trying to restrict a cell to only allow entries beginning with at least two digits. Thus, a single-digit entry would not be allowed, but a two-, three-, or four-digit entry would be permissible. Rachel wonders if this is possible, perhaps using Data Validation.

Yes, this can be handled through Data Validation. Assuming that you want to allow only whole numbers to be entered in the cell, you would set it up in this manner:

1. Select the cell where the user will input their entry.
2. Display the Data tab of the ribbon.
3. In the Data Tools group click the Data Validation tool. Excel displays the Data Validation dialog box with the Settings tab displayed. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Settings tab of the Data Validation dialog box.

4. Using the Allow drop-down list, choose Whole Number.
5. Using the Data drop-down list, choose Greater Than.
6. In the Minimum box, enter the value 9. (The Minimum box is visible only after completing steps 4 and 5.)
7. Click OK.

If your user is permitted to enter decimal values, then the steps need to be modified slightly:

1. Select the cell where the user will input their entry.
2. Display the Data tab of the ribbon.
3. In the Data Tools group click the Data Validation tool. Excel displays the Data Validation dialog box with the Settings tab displayed.
4. Using the Allow drop-down list, choose Decimal.
5. Using the Data drop-down list, choose Greater Than or Equal To.
6. In the Minimum box, enter the value 10. (The Minimum box is visible only after completing steps 4 and 5.)
7. Click OK.

Either of these approaches will work fine, provided a value such as "03" isn't considered a valid two-digit entry. If this is the case, then you'll need to change entirely the way that the Data Validation is set up:

1. Select the cell where the user will input their entry.
2. Display the Data tab of the ribbon.
3. In the Data Tools group click the Data Validation tool. Excel displays the Data Validation dialog box with the Settings tab displayed.
4. Using the Allow drop-down list, choose Text Length.
5. Using the Data drop-down list, choose Greater Than.
6. In the Minimum box, enter the value 1.
7. Click OK.

The drawback to allowing text entry is that, of course, a user could enter a non-sensical value, such as "ab" or "Q7." In addition, since the user is entering a text value (and it is stored in the cell as a text value), you may get funky results if you reference that cell in a formula.

You'll want to carefully consider what you are wanting the user to do when the user enters the data in the cell. You can, if necessary, enter entire formulas in the Data Validation dialog box that evaluate whatever the user enters to make sure it matches your needs. For instance, if you want the user to be able to enter anything provided the first two characters are digits, the following steps will work:

1. Select the cell where the user will input their entry. (For the purposes of these steps, I'll assume the cell is A2.)
2. Display the Data tab of the ribbon.
3. In the Data Tools group click the Data Validation tool. Excel displays the Data Validation dialog box with the Settings tab displayed.
4. Using the Allow drop-down list, choose Custom.
5. In the Formula box, visible after completing step 4, enter the following formula. (Even though it is shown on multiple lines here, this is a single formula that should be placed in the Formula box.)

      =AND(LEN(A2)>1,LEFT(A2,1)>="0",LEFT(A2,1)<="9",
      MID(A2,2,1)>="0",MID(A2,2,1)<="9")

6. Click OK.

Using this scenario, the user could enter "02" or "1234" or even "73abcd." The only requirement is that the first two characters entered would be digits.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6157) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365.