How to remove dashes from an SSN in excel

You can watch a video tutorial here.

Social Security Numbers are in the format of 9 digits separated by 2 dashes for every 3 digits e.g. 234-876-597.  You may need to remove the dashes so that the SSN only digits. It is important to ensure that leading zeroes are not lost as that will result in a wrong SSN.

Step 1 – Use the SUBSTITUTE function

– Select the destination cell
– Type the function as:
=SUBSTITUTE(<cell reference>,”-“,””)
– Press Enter

Step 2 – Copy the formula to the other cells

– Using the fill handle from the first cell, drag the formula to the remaining cells
OR
a) Select the cell with the formula and press Ctrl+C or choose Copy from the context menu (right-click)
b) Select the rest of the cells in the column and press Ctrl+V or choose Paste from the context menu (right-click)