Cell Will Not Change Format Until Double Clicked

This is crazy, but I suspect there is a setting or something causing it

In column "A" I have dates in a format of mm/dd/yyyy
Now, for example, I have copied a date value of 8/26/2015 3:39:49 PM to cell A1
And this is how the data shows in cell A1
And it stays that way until I double-clip the cell, and THEN it displays as
8/26/2015 in cell A1 but in the formula bar it displays as 8/26/2015 3:39:49 PM


So now the problem here is, if I copy over to column A a bunch of dates in the format of 8/26/2015 3:39:49 PM 3:39:49 PM ,
I have to double click on each cell in column "A" to get the format that I want which is 8/26/2015

This is crazy, what causes this?

If you widen the column and restore Excel's default horizontal formatting ("General"), I expect the date appears left-aligned in the cell, no?

The dates are stored as text. Select the column, change the format to whatever you like, then Data > Text to columns, Finish.

If your question has been answered please mark your thread as "Solved" so that members will know by looking at the thread title that your problem is solved. Go to the menu immediately above your first post to the thread and click on Thread Tools. From the dropdown menu select "Mark this thread as solved..."

If a member helped you solve your problem, consider adding to their reputation by clicking on the star icon below their name.

You're welcome.

Administrative Note:

We are happy to help, however whilst you feel your request is similar to this thread, experience has shown that things soon get confusing when answers refer to particular cells/ranges/sheets which are unique to your post and not relevant to the original.

Please see Forum Rule #4 about hijacking and start a new thread for your query.

If you are not familiar with how to start a new thread see the FAQ: How to start a new thread