# The type cannot be changed

**What you are seeing**

In the edit form, **Type** is greyed out with _The type cannot be changed._

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## Why it happens

By design. The type is fixed when a variable is created (_Fixed once the variable is created._). Every page that shows the variable expects that type, so changing it in place could turn a date into text or a person into a number on pages you cannot see.

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## What to do

1. Create a new variable with the type you want.
2. Point each page at the new variable.
3. Delete the old one once nothing uses it.

The full steps are in [Retire or replace a variable safely](https://help.gocapable.com/variables/retire-or-replace-a-variable-safely.html).

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## Related

### [Variable types and values](https://help.gocapable.com/variables/variable-types-and-values.html)

Text, Number, User and Date.

### [Retire or replace a variable safely](https://help.gocapable.com/variables/retire-or-replace-a-variable-safely.html)

Delete or swap without broken pages.

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_Found it? Good._