Google Sheets: the format of data changes when added to my spreadsheet

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Updated at August 20th, 2025

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Causes How to fix it

You've entered data into your spreadsheet by Zap, and the format of the data has changed unexpectedly. For instance, numbers might be turning into dates, dates might turn into numbers, or text might turn into numbers.

Causes

This can happen for reasons:

Google Sheets is automatically formatting the data you enter based on the type of data it thinks it is. For example, if you enter a number that looks like a date, Google Sheets will automatically format it as a date.
Existing conditional formatting rules in your spreadsheet.
You are using a Formatter step to format the data to send to the spreadsheet, but the data is not transforming into the expected format.

How to fix it

To resolve this issue, follow this step:

Remove Google Sheets formatting. This will prevent any data from being automatically formatted. Learn more about formatting in Google Sheets:
- Edit and format a spreadsheet
- Format numbers in a spreadsheet
Review existing conditional formatting rules.
Review and retest your Formatter step. It may be that your step is not using the correct transform or that the transform has not been set up correctly for your desired results.

Google Sheets: the format of data changes when added to my spreadsheet

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Causes

How to fix it

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