Excel: Convert forced text to numbers

Enter the number 1 in a cell somewhere away from the range of numeric values. Copy that cell to the Clipboard. Highlight the entire range of text numbers and select Paste Special from the Edit menu. Check the box titled Multiply, then click on OK. This will replace the value of each cell in the range with each value multiplied by 1.
If the cell held a text number, it will be converted to an actual number. Cells containing non numeric text will not be changed. Note that you can use the same technique to multiply, divide, add, or subtract the values in the target range by the value in the clipboard. For example, you can use this method to raise or lower a list of prices by 10 percent.