Why is my number stored as text in Excel? Excel doesn’t convert numbers written in text into digits if you import data from another source because of the default setting.

Excel may return a serial number instead of a date; because it is stored thus in the backend. Learn how to convert Serial Number to Date.

Converting empty cells means that they will be formatted as text if you enter data into them in the future. Navigate to the "Number" group within the "Home" tab in Excel.