Leading zeros in Zip Codes

Leading zeros in U.S. zips can be a problem if you are editing a file in Excel and you have not defined the “Column Data Format” as text.  By default, Excel treats the field as a number and trims off the leading zero.

We have a simple solution in the admin area that should solve this for most users. From your admin page, click on “other”, “Fix U.S. Zip Codes”. Note: for this to work properly you must have a country field defined, and the locations in question must have “US” or “USA” entered as the country.

OR…

You can utilize the Import functionality of the Excel to retain the leading zeroes in CSV files.

1. Open a blank Excel Spreadsheet.

2. Click on “Data->Import External Data->Import Data”

3. At the bottom of the “Select Data Source” window, from the “Files of Type” dropdown, Select “Text Files (*.txt, *.prn, *.CSV.. etc)” and select the file you downloaded.

4. Choose the file type as “Delimitted”

5. Choose Comma as the Delimtters

6. In “Step 3”, select the column that should retain the zeroes and choose “Text” from the “Column Data Format” section.

7. Click on Finish.

NOTE: we offer these tips to help you solve data problems but if you need further assistance with managing your data or correcting errors that are beyond our control, charges may apply per our terms of service.  Contact us if you would like further assistance. 

more help