=sqrt((numbers)^2)

I chose a simpler solution, no formulas needed. First, to preserve the original data in case I goofed up, I copied the raw CMM measurement data in Worksheet 1 to Worksheet 2. Next, In Worksheet 2, I selected the multiple disconnected blocks of cells which had some negative numbers I wanted to convert to positive numbers. Then, I simply used the “replace” function to replace the minus sign with … nothing! It worked perfectly, and was clean; no formulas, no conditional formatting, and the raw unaltered data remained on Worksheet 1 as my backup resource. Applying a formula is not always the answer. I love using Excel to do data logging, tracking, analysis, and to answer so many math questions, both at work and personally. At work, I measure parts, and the machine measures distances to the left as negative numbers, and not just a positive number distance. Other measurements, though, are at a position of being on a datum X or Y, at zero. Those measurements will be off zero in the positive or negative direction, and I need hose occasional negative numbers to remain negative. That meant I had to select a partial column here, another there, and skip ones that measured around a zero target, then apply that “negative sign removal) to only those measurements that were negatives, but did not have zero as the target dimension. It is probably confusing until actually seeing the spreadsheet I was fixing, but the method I chose worked perfectly, and had no formula involved, just a clean minus-sign removal done as a “replace” edit. Thank you, Joel

use this formula (A1 is a cell reference in which you want to convert) =max(A1,-A1) What this formula does is to choose the highest number, and positive will normally be the highest number.

Taimoor, Your solution requires adding a column of formulas. The easiest way is to use "find and replace", as I explained here on 4/20/16. Enter a dash in the first line, nothing in the second, and replace as many of them as you want ("find next" or "replace all"). Not "complexed" at all. Your method creates clutter on the spreadsheet with a new column of formulas that requires the first column of negative numbers to remain, although it is now just a sub-component of the formulas column. Then, if you want to clean up the spreadsheet, you would have to hide that first column of negative numbers. Messy. No thank you. You say other people's methods are "complexed", but yours is not, IMHO, much, if any, of an improvement.

"Formulas? We don' need no ... " Click on Find and Replace. Enter a dash in the "Find What" section. Leave the "Replace With" section blank. Click "Replace All" and BAM! Negativity" gone. If you want to play it safe, and aren't sure about whether or not you will muck up your spreadsheet, copy Sheet 1 to Sheet 2, then perform the Find and Replace action with Sheet 2. If you like it, copy what you want and paste it back into Sheet 1. Safe as can be!

Click on that Negative Number. Right Click & go on Format Cell & click on 1234.

It's so simple. Don't know why it's been explained in such a complexed manner. Suppose you have a column A with following values: Cell A: A2= -4000 A3= -5000 A4= -8000 Apply the formula in cell B2 =A2*(-1) And drag it down till the last value of column A. Done!

Just did the copy/paste -1 onto highlighted positive numbers and puff, like magic my job is done here. Big time saver big help

I've found highlighting the column hitting ctrl F, then replacing - with nothing will remove the -. Its easy

It is so simple if you multiply -1 with the value or column and drag the formula :)