Entering Dates in Excel

Summary: When you type information into a cell, Excel tries to figure out what type of information you are entering. If Excel can reasonably assume you are entering a date, it will convert the entry into a date, internally, and format the cell as a date. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

Dates are a special case in Excel. If you enter information that can be translated as a date (by any stretch of the imagination), then Excel treats it as a date. It converts your data into a serial number that is internally used to represent dates and times. For instance, any of the following entries will be translated to a date by Excel:

6/11
6-11/09
11 Jun
June 11, 2009

If you enter the first example, Excel will convert it to a date and display that date as best it can determine. If you leave off the year in your entry, Excel assumes you mean the current year. You could also use dashes instead of slashes and Excel will still figure out you are entering a date.

Regardless of how you type a date, it is converted to a special serial number by Excel and stored internally in that format. How you see the date on your screen is a consequence of how the cell is formatted. Even though Excel stores dates in a standard format internally, they can be displayed using any number of different formats.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2177) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Entering Dates in Excel