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I typed in =NOW() and the cell displayed "1/6/20161/6/2016".

Checked cell format and conditional formatting and nothing seems amiss. What can cause this?

edit: as shown in the image below, I cannot recreate the anomaly outside of this column. Whether I copy/paste or type in =NOW() the result is the same. Screenshot

elt2jdavis
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    provide a screenshot – Rahul Shah Jan 06 '16 at 17:03
  • I edited the question to include a screenshot. – elt2jdavis Jan 06 '16 at 20:09
  • delete the column and try again. I have found this to be the only way around some anomalies, especially if the data/column/sheet has been copied from elsewhere. Excel seems to not like new formats being put over the top of earlier ones, especially if the earlier ones were formatted as Text. – KiwiSteve Jan 06 '16 at 21:52
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    It appears that improper formatting might be contributing to the error. I see warning flags (green triangles) on the top left of the cells. When you select the cell, a yellow warning sign will appear to the left of the cell. Please select the warning sign and post the screenshot of the warning message. – Joseph B Jan 07 '16 at 03:24
  • @KiwiSteve: Fixing it isn't difficult; I'm trying to figure out what causes it. @ Joseph B: The warning is just the unprotected formula warning, suggesting that I lock the cell. Locking the cell makes the green triangle go away but the date still displays double. – elt2jdavis Jan 07 '16 at 20:20

1 Answers1

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This is caused by setting the Text alignment Horizontal property to "Fill" in a cell that is sufficiently wide enough to allow the text string to be displayed twice.

This is why in the screenshot columns B:C do not display the date twice; they have a lesser column width.

elt2jdavis
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    HOW TO: To change this property on Windows, select the offending cells, right-click and select "Format Cells...", a tabbed menu will appear, make sure the "Alignment" tab is selected and then you'll see the "Text Alignment" property elt2jdavis mentions. Select something else from the "Horizontal" drop-down menu like "General." – That'sIs JustCrazy Jul 12 '21 at 22:41