Formatting in calc

I did a spreadsheet and discovered the default cell format is text(crazy for a calc progam) Now I can’t change the format except 1 cell at a time. I try by row or column and even though it shows changed to number it isn’t. The numbers are still text and formulae will not read them. Frustrating.
Any way to correct this issues???
Thanks

The default format is not Text but General. You somehow ended up with a Text format by other means. However, this FAQ may help.

Thank you so much. I was so frustrated. The extension is great.