Where is the first cell (for example, A1) and is the last cell (for example, A10) in the range of cells that contain the Social Security numbers.Įxcel displays the '000-00-' text string instead of the first 5 digits of the Social Security number and combines it with the last four digits of the Social Security number (for example, 000-00-1234). In the Formula Bar, edit the formula so that it looks like this: On the Formulas tab, click Insert Function, type TEXT, and then type CONCATENATE. In an empty column, click in the first cell. Instead, store the full Social Security numbers in a location that meets stringent security standards (for example, a database program), and then use only the last four digits of the numbers in your workbooks. As a best practice, you may want to avoid storing complete Social Security numbers in your workbooks.
Important: To prevent other people from viewing an entire Social Security number, you can first hide the column that contains that number, and then protect the worksheet so that unauthorized users cannot unhide the data.
