Stop the plus sign from generating a formula in Sheets

When you try to enter a phone number in Google Sheets or anything that starts with the plus sign, the cell will automatically create a formula. However, there’s an easy workaround so you can add the + sign in a cell followed by plain text.

Before you enter the plus sign, start with a single apostrophe in the cell. This tells Google Sheets that you are trying to enter plain text and not a formula. For example: '+word+word will come out as just +word+word.

Now you can enter signs in any cell without starting a formula or function.