Microsoft KB Archive/178957

= "am/pm" changed to "AM/PM" in custom number format in Excel for Mac =

Article ID: 178957

Article Last Modified on 1/22/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Excel 2001 for Mac
 * Microsoft Excel X for Mac
 * Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac

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This article was previously published under Q178957





SYMPTOMS
If you open a workbook created in an earlier version of Microsoft Excel, and the workbook contains time data, the formatting for time data in cells or in charts may be changed from "am/pm" to "AM/PM". For example, if you create the time "1:00 am" (without the quotation marks) in cell A1 and you open the workbook in Microsoft Excel 98, cell A1 displays "1:00 AM" (without the quotation marks).



CAUSE
The Microsoft Excel versions that are listed in the "Applies to" section do not support custom number formats in which "AM/PM" is lowercase. For example, the following format is not supported:   h:mm am/pm



WORKAROUND
To display "am/pm" in lowercase, change the number formatting to a format similar to the following   h:mm a/p"m" including the quotation marks. To do this, follow these steps:  Click Cells on the Format menu. Click the Number tab. In the Category list, click Custom. In the Type box, type the following

h:mm a/p"m"

and then click OK.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

<div class="references_section">

Excel X and later versions
For more information about custom number formats, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Search Excel Help on the Help menu.
 * 2) Type about basic number format codes, and then click Search.
 * 3) Click a topic to view it.

Excel 2001
For more information about custom number formats, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Office Assistant.
 * 2) Type custom number formats, and then click Search.
 * 3) Click a topic to view it.

Note If the Office Assistant is hidden, click Office Assistant on the standard toolbar.

Excel 98
For more information about custom number formats, follow these steps:
 * 1) On the Help menu, click Contents and Index.
 * 2) Click the Index tab in MS Excel Help.
 * 3) Type number formats, custom, and then double-click the selected text to view the "Custom number, date, and time format codes" topic.

Additional query words: upper lowercase uppercase revert XL98 XLX XL2001 XL2004

Keywords: kbbug KB178957

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