How to Convert Text to Date in Excel
Last Updated :
08 Jul, 2024
Have you ever found yourself staring at a column of dates in Excel, only to realize they’re formatted as text? It's a common problem that can hinder your data analysis and reporting tasks. Fortunately, converting text to date in Excel is straightforward. If you're looking to use the Text to Columns feature or need to convert a number to date in Excel, this article will walk you through the process step-by-step.
Learn how to seamlessly convert text to dates, ensuring your spreadsheets are accurate and functional. Discover the best methods for Excel convert number to date and Excel convert text to number, making your data work for you. Let’s dive in and transform those text entries into usable date formats!
How to Convert Text to Date in ExcelWhat does it mean to convert text to date in Excel
Converting text to date in Excel means transforming date information stored as text strings into a format that Excel recognizes as a date. This transformation is crucial for enabling date-specific calculations, formatting, and sorting. Text dates, which are treated as plain text, cannot be used directly in date functions or operations. By converting these text strings into Excel's date format using functions like DATEVALUE, TEXT, or DATE, or tools like Text to Columns, you ensure that your data can be accurately processed. This conversion is essential for tasks such as performing date arithmetic, applying consistent date formats, and sorting dates chronologically, thereby enhancing data integrity, facilitating automation, and improving data analysis and reporting.
How to convert number to date in Excel
Step 1: Open MS Excel
Select your Data and Perform a Right-click.webp)
Select Format CellsSelect "Date" from the Category list and choose the desired date format from the Type list.
Choose Date FormatStep 5: Preview Results
Preview ResultsHow to Convert Text to Date in Excel
Step 1: Open Excel and Select the Cells
Open the spreadsheet in Excel and select the cells which have the date in text format then go to home tab at top of the ribbon and then select replace from the find & select dropdown.
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Enter "-" in find what and "/" in replace with and press replace all.
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Format ReplaceFinally, our spreadsheet has changed the date text in the Date format.
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Change the Date FormatHow to convert text to columns in Excel
Step 1: Open MS Excel and Select the Cells
Open the spreadsheet with excel and select all data cells of one column and select the data tab in the top of the ribbon and then choose Texts to Columns from data tools. Then Convert Text to column wizard dialog box will appear and here you can see it is in Step 1 of 3 that is written in the dialog box.
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Select all the CellsStep 2: Select the Data from Column data
Just click NEXT in step 1 and step 2 as it is and in step 3 select the Date from the column data format and press finish.
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Click "Next"Step 3: Select all the cells of another column
Similarly, select all data cells of another column and apply the above step to get the final result in date format.
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ResultNow you will understand how we change the date text in Date format.
Conclusion
Converting text to date in Excel is a straightforward yet powerful technique that can significantly enhance your data management and analysis capabilities. By using functions like DATEVALUE, TEXT, and custom formatting options, you can efficiently convert text to dates. Mastering these techniques ensures that your data is accurate and ready for any analysis. Whether you need to Excel convert number to date, or convert a number to date in Excel, these methods will transform your raw data into a more usable and insightful format. Additionally, if you need to Excel convert text to number, these steps will help streamline your data processing, ensuring it is in the correct format for analysis.
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