Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Dates with Periods.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 3, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Lee prefers a date format that uses periods, such as 9.29.11. He wonders if there is a way to create such a format and if that format can be set as the default date format used by Excel.
Defining the date format in Excel is easy. Just follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Number tab of the Format Cells dialog box.
That's it; you now have a format set to display dates you want. If you want the format to be the default for all dates, then you are going to have to make a change in the Regional Settings of Windows itself. (Excel draws its default from these settings.) The exact way you do this varies depending on the version of Windows you are using, but in general there is a choice in the Windows Control Panel that allows you to specify regional settings. All you need to do is modify those settings to reflect the date format you want to use. The change will affect not only the display of numbers in Excel, but in other Windows-compliant programs, as well.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3427) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Dates with Periods.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
Excel allows you to adjust spacing between cell walls and the contents of those cells. It does not, however, allow you to ...
Discover MoreIf you ever get to a situation where you can no longer format cells in a workbook, you'll realize just how important the ...
Discover MoreThere are times when displaying zero values in a worksheet (especially if there are lots of them) can be distracting from ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2018-03-16 08:35:09
Thank you. I was able to use the formula. Next problem. How do you use the dates with period formatting in a formula to advance 4.5 years? I know the formula to convert the date forward, but with periods the function is not converting. I get the #VALUE response.
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments