Turn off Error Checking With error checking turned on in Excel, you see an error indicator if you enter a date with a two-digit year into a cell that has text formatting applied to it. If you want, you can turn off this Error Checking feature. Click the File tab. Click Options . In the Excel Options dialog box, click the Formulas category. Under Error checking rules , clear the Cells containing years represented as 2 digits check box. Click OK .