How to change date format in excel

Answer

To change the date format in Excel, follow these steps carefully:

1. Select the cells containing the dates
   Click on the cell or drag over multiple cells that contain the dates you want to format.

2. Open the Format Cells dialog

   • On Windows: Press Ctrl + 1 or right-click the selected cells and choose Format Cells.

   • On Mac: Press Command + 1 or right-click and select Format Cells.

3. Go to the Date category
   In the Format Cells dialog, click the Number tab, then select Date from the list on the left.

4. Choose a date format
   Excel shows multiple predefined date formats. Select the format you prefer, such as:

   • MM/DD/YYYY → 12/08/2025

   • DD-MMM-YYYY → 08-Dec-2025

   • MMMM DD, YYYY → December 08, 2025

5. Apply a custom date format
   To create a custom format:

   • Click Custom under the Number tab.

   • Enter a custom code in the Type field. Examples:

     • dd/mm/yyyy → 08/12/2025

     • yyyy-mm-dd → 2025-12-08

     • dddd, mmmm dd, yyyy → Monday, December 08, 2025

6. Click OK
   The selected dates will immediately display in the chosen format.

Notes and Tips

• Changing the format does not alter the underlying date value. Excel stores dates as serial numbers. Formatting only changes how the date appears.

• Ensure your cells contain valid Excel dates. Text that looks like a date will not format correctly. Use the DATEVALUE() function to convert text to a proper date.

• Keyboard shortcuts help speed up the process:

  • Ctrl + Shift + # quickly applies the default short date format.

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