Leading Zeroes

Ever typed a phone number, identification number, or ZIP code, only to find Excel annoyingly strips away the leading zero and converts it into a numeric value?
 
We might know that numbers have a use beyond mathematical operation, but Excel doesn’t.
 
Thankfully, a recent update has addressed this by giving us more control over automatic data conversion. I will caveat that by saying it’s currently only available to Office Insiders on the Beta Channel.
 
To find the option, select File > Options > Advanced and scroll down to the Automatic Data Conversion (BETA) section. Uncheck ‘Remove leading zeros and convert to a number’ to ensure Excel respects your input.