If you work with dates in Excel, you know how frustrating it can be to enter them in manually. You have to remember the format (month/day/year or day/month/year), and if you make a mistake, it can be hard to spot. Fortunately, there are a few shortcuts that can make working with dates a lot easier. Here are 20 of our favorites:
When you enter a date in Excel, you can use either slashes (/) or dashes (-) as separators. For example, 3/14/2015 and 14-3-2015 both refer to March 14, 2015. This can be helpful if you're working with data from different sources that use different date formats.
If you enter a date with a two-digit year (like 3/14/15), Excel will interpret it as a date in the current century. So, 3/14/15 is interpreted as March 14, 2015. But 3/14/99 is interpreted as March 14, 2099. You can avoid this by always using four-digit years (like 3/14/2015).
If you enter a date like 3/4/2015, Excel will interpret it as March 4, 2015. But if you enter a date like 03/04/2015, Excel will interpret it as April 3, 2015. To avoid this, you can use leading zeros (like 03/04/2015).
If you need to enter a date that's not in the standard format (month/day/year or day/month/year), you can use the DATE function. For example, the formula =DATE(2015,3,14) will enter the date March 14, 2015, regardless of the current date format. You can also use the DATE function to enter a date in a specific format. For example, the formula =DATE(2015,3,14) will enter the date March 14, 2015, regardless of the current date format.
If you need to enter the current year in a cell, you can use the YEAR function. For example, the formula =YEAR(TODAY()) will enter the current year. You can also use the YEAR function to extract the year from a date. For example, the formula =YEAR("3/14/2015") will return 2015.
If you need to enter the current month in a cell, you can use the MONTH function. For example, the formula =MONTH(TODAY()) will enter the current month. You can also use the MONTH function to extract the month from a date. For example, the formula =MONTH("3/14/2015") will return 3.
If you need to enter the current day of the month in a cell, you can use the DAY function. For example, the formula =DAY(TODAY()) will enter the current day. You can also use the DAY function to extract the day from a date. For example, the formula =DAY("3/14/2015") will return 14.
If you need to enter the current day of the week in a cell, you can use the WEEKDAY function. For example, the formula =WEEKDAY(TODAY()) will enter the current day. You can also use the WEEKDAY function to extract the day of the week from a date. For example, the formula =WEEKDAY("3/14/2015") will return 6 (Saturday).
If you need to enter the current date and time in a cell, you can use the NOW function. For example, the formula =NOW() will enter the current date and time. You can also use the NOW function to enter the current date or time in a specific format. For example, the formula =NOW("mm/dd/yyyy") will enter the current date in the format month/day/year.
If you need to enter the current date in a cell, you can use the TODAY function. For example, the formula =TODAY() will enter the current date. You can also use the TODAY function to enter the current date in a specific format. For example, the formula =TODAY("mm/dd/yyyy") will enter the current date in the format month/day/year.
If you need to enter the current time in a cell, you can use the TIME function. For example, the formula =TIME() will enter the current time. You can also use the TIME function to enter the current time in a specific format. For example, the formula =TIME("hh:mm:ss") will enter the current time in the format hour:minute:second.
If you need to enter the current hour in a cell, you can use the HOUR function. For example, the formula =HOUR(NOW()) will enter the current hour. You can also use the HOUR function to extract the hour from a time. For example, the formula =HOUR("3:14:15") will return 3.
If you need to enter the current minute in a cell, you can use the MINUTE function. For example, the formula =MINUTE(NOW()) will enter the current minute. You can also use the MINUTE function to extract the minute from a time. For example, the formula =MINUTE("3:14:15") will return 14.
If you need to enter the current second in a cell, you can use the SECOND function. For example, the formula =SECOND(NOW()) will enter the current second. You can also use the SECOND function to extract the second from a time. For example, the formula =SECOND("3:14:15") will return 15.
If you need to convert a date from text to a real date, you can use the DATEVALUE function. For example, the formula =DATEVALUE("3/14/2015") will return the date 3/14/2015. You can also use the DATEVALUE function to convert a date from one format to another. For example, the formula =DATEVALUE("14-3-2015") will return the date 3/14/2015.
If you need to convert a time from text to a real time, you can use the TIMEVALUE function. For example, the formula =TIMEVALUE("3:14:15") will return the time 3:14:15. You can also use the TIMEVALUE function to convert a time from one format to another. For example, the formula =TIMEVALUE("3:14:15 PM") will return the time 3:14:15.
If you need to insert the current date and time in a cell, you can use the NOW function. For example, the formula =NOW() will insert the current date and time. You can also use the NOW function to insert the current date or time in a specific format. For example, the formula =NOW("mm/dd/yyyy") will insert the current date in the format month/day/year.
If you need to insert the current date in a cell, you can use the TODAY function. For example, the formula =TODAY() will insert the current date. You can also use the TODAY function to insert the current date in a specific format. For example, the formula =TODAY("mm/dd/yyyy") will insert the current date in the format month/day/year.
If you need to insert the current time in a cell, you can use the TIME function. For example, the formula =TIME() will
