How to Change Date Format in Excel: A Complete Guide

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Changing date formats in Excel is essential for data clarity and consistency. Whether you’re managing spreadsheets for business, personal use, or sharing reports internationally, the correct date format ensures your information is easy to understand.

Excel offers multiple ways to modify date formats, from built-in options to custom date formats and even formula-based methods. In this guide, we will walk how to change date formats, handle text-based dates, and fix common formatting issues.

Why Changing Date Format in Excel Matters

Excel stores dates as serial numbers behind the scenes, allowing for date calculations like adding days or months. However, the display format of these dates can differ based on:

• Your computer’s regional settings
• Excel’s default settings
• Your data’s source

For instance, 04/05/2025 can mean April 5th or May 4th, depending on whether you’re following U.S. or European formatting. Adjusting date formats ensures accurate communication.

How to Change Date Format Using the Format Cells Dialog

1. Select the cells with the dates to format.
2. Right-click and choose Format Cells.
3. In the Format Cells dialog, click the Number tab.
4. Select Date from the category list.
5. Choose the desired date format.
6. Click OK.

Built-in Date Format Examples:

You can preview the format style in the Sample box before applying it.

How to Apply Custom Date Formats

If the standard formats don’t meet your needs, Excel allows you to define custom date formats.

Steps to Create a Custom Date Format:

1. Select the date cells.
2. Right-click and select Format Cells.
3. In the Number tab, click Custom.
4. Enter your preferred format code in the Type field.
5. Click OK.

Popular Custom Date Format Codes:

These custom formats help tailor date displays to your specific needs.

Understanding Date Format Codes in Excel

Here’s a quick guide to format codes used in custom date formats:

• d: Day (1-31)
• dd: Day with leading zero (01-31)
• ddd: Abbreviated weekday (Mon-Sun)
• dddd: Full weekday name (Monday-Sunday)
• m: Month (1-12)
• mm: Month with leading zero (01-12)
• mmm: Abbreviated month (Jan-Dec)
• mmmm: Full month name (January-December)
• yy: Two-digit year (00-99)
• yyyy: Four-digit year (1900-9999)

Combining these symbols gives you precise control over your date formatting.

How to Change Default Date Format in Excel Based on Regional Settings

Excel often uses the computer’s regional settings to determine the default date format. You can change these settings if you’re working with international clients or datasets.

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click Clock and Region.
3. Select Region.
4. In the Formats tab, choose your preferred region.
5. Click Additional settings and go to the Date tab.
6. Customize the short date and long date fields as needed.
7. Click Apply and OK.

These settings will affect the default date format across all applications, including Excel.

Using DATEVALUE Function to Convert Text to Date in Excel

Sometimes dates are imported into Excel as text, especially from CSV files or external databases. These text-based dates can’t be used in date calculations until they’re converted into proper date values.

The DATEVALUE function helps convert these text entries into valid Excel date values.

Syntax:

=DATEVALUE(date_text)

• date_text is a text string that represents a date.

Example:

If cell A1 contains "04/23/2025" as text:

=DATEVALUE(A1)

The formula returns 45067, the serial number for April 23, 2025. You can then apply any date format to display it correctly.

Common Scenarios for DATEVALUE:

Once converted, format the result using Format Cells to display it as a date.

Tips:

• If DATEVALUE returns a #VALUE! error, ensure the text date follows a valid date format for your regional settings.
• You can use SUBSTITUTE or TEXT TO COLUMNS to clean date text before applying DATEVALUE.

How to Fix Common Date Formatting Issues in Excel

1. Dates Displaying as Numbers

If dates show as large numbers (e.g., 45067), they are formatted as General or Number.

Solution:

• Select the cells.
• Use Format Cells and apply a Date format.

2. Dates Not Recognized (Stored as Text)

Imported dates may be stored as text. They often align to the left in cells.

Solution:

• Use DATEVALUE to convert them into real date values.
• Alternatively, use Text to Columns (found in the Data tab) to fix text-based dates.

3. Inconsistent Date Formats in the Same Column

Data from different sources might use varying date formats.

Solution:

• Apply a uniform format using Format Cells.
• For text-based dates, convert them using DATEVALUE.

How to Apply Date Format to an Entire Column

You can apply a date format to an entire column with these steps:

1. Click the column header (e.g., column A) to select the whole column.
2. Right-click and choose Format Cells.
3. Select Date or Custom, and pick your desired format.
4. Click OK.

This ensures consistency across the entire dataset.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Date Formatting in Excel

Speed up your workflow with these Excel keyboard shortcuts for date formatting:

These shortcuts help apply date formats quickly without using the mouse.

Final Thoughts

Mastering date formatting in Excel improves data clarity, helps prevent misinterpretation, and ensures your reports are professional. By using Excel’s built-in format options, custom formats, and the DATEVALUE function, you can handle almost any date formatting challenge. Whether you’re working with local settings or global datasets, these techniques ensure your dates display exactly as needed.

Vaishvi Desai

Vaishvi Desai is the founder of Excelsamurai and a passionate Excel enthusiast with years of experience in data analysis and spreadsheet management. With a mission to help others harness the power of Excel, Vaishvi shares her expertise through concise, easy-to-follow tutorials on shortcuts, formulas, Pivot Tables, and VBA.