How to Format Date in Excel

Have you ever tried to input a date in Excel only to have it come out as a bunch of numbers? It can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to organize data or create a graph. But fear not! I'm here to teach you how to format a date in Excel like a pro. First things first, let's talk about why Excel does this in the first place. Excel is simply recognizing the date as a number and converting it to its corresponding numeric value. For example, January 1st, 2022 would be recognized as 44519, as that's the number of days between January 1st, 1900 (the starting date for Excel) and January 1st, 2022. So how do we fix this? First, highlight the cells with the dates you want to format. Then, right-click and select "Format Cells." This will bring up a pop-up window with a variety of formatting options. In the "Number" tab, you'll see a list of categories on the left side. Select "Date" and you'll see a variety of different date formats to choose from. Pick the one that best suits your needs - for example, "03/14/2022" for a US-style date or "14/03/2022" for a UK-style date. If you want to create a custom date format, click on the "Custom" category. Here, you can type in your own format using a combination of letters and symbols. For example, "dd mmm yyyy" would give you a date formatted like "14 Mar 2022". Don't worry if you're not sure what letters and symbols to use - Excel provides a helpful guide in the pop-up window. Another useful formatting option is to use the "Text to Columns" feature. This is particularly handy if you have a column of dates that are all in the same format, but you want to separate them into different columns for day, month, and year. Select the column you want to split, click on "Text to Columns" under the "Data" tab, and follow the prompts. One thing to keep in mind when formatting dates in Excel is that the program will recognize a date only if it's entered in a recognizable date format. For example, typing "March 14, 2022" will work, but typing "14th of March, 2022" will not. If you're having trouble getting a date to format correctly, double-check that you've entered it in a recognizable format. In conclusion, formatting dates in Excel is a simple but important step in organizing and analyzing data. Whether you're using one of the pre-set formats or creating your own, the key is to make sure Excel recognizes the date as a date, not just a number. With these tips and tricks, you'll be formatting dates like a pro in no time!