Handling conversion of text entries to actual dates in Excel is a common task, especially when dates are manually entered in non-standard formats or imported into text strings from external systems. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to convert these text entries into the appropriate date format so that I can efficiently calculate, sort or filter.

Key points:

• Correct conversion of dates is crucial to the accuracy and readability of data analysis in Excel.
• Excel uses a serial number system to store dates and supports date calculation and operation.
• Dates in text format limit Excel's ability to execute date functions, sort and filter.
• The DATEVALUE, VALUE functions, and text-to-column functions help convert text to recognizable dates.
• Excel's flash and error checking capabilities simplify converting multiple text dates simultaneously.

Table of contents

Introduction to converting text to dates in Excel

Common challenges in date formatting in Excel

Handling date formats in Excel is often frustrating. I've witnessed first-hand the confusion when the date imported from other files (like .csv files) loses formatting after entering the Excel grid. This results in the inability to perform basic functions such as sorting by date, which is crucial in data organization.

The importance of correct date conversion

Correct conversion of dates in Excel is crucial for several aspects.

• First, it ensures the accuracy of data analysis, and sorting, filtering, and using specific date functions all depend on Excel to correctly identify dates.
• Second, it affects the visual representation of the data. Correctly formatted dates improve the readability and consistency of spreadsheets, making reports more professional and trustworthy.
• Additionally, Excel's built-in date functions such as DAY(), MONTH() and YEAR() can only work with correctly formatted dates, which is critical for dynamic data manipulation and calculations.

Misplaced or misunderstood dates can disrupt the timeline, distort results, and disrupt decision-making processes based on spreadsheet data.

Understand Excel's date system

Explain Excel's serial number format

Excel's date system is unique; it counts dates as serial numbers, where each day is a continuous number, starting on January 1, 1900, called serial number 1. This is a core concept to master, because Excel actually stores dates as these numbers, which is the basis for allowing date arithmetic, such as subtracting another date from one date to find out the number of days in between.

For example, the serial number of January 1, 2023 will be 44562.

This system is more than just a quirk; it is the backbone of all date-related operations in Excel. Understanding this helps us understand why Excel might treat what we think of as a date as just text or a string of characters.

Text date and Excel date recognition

When processing data, it is crucial to distinguish between text dates and Excel dates. Excel dates, recognized by the program as valid, are of the format "Date" type, are displayed in the "Number Format" box, and are right-aligned within the cell, indicating that they are considered numbers.

Instead, text dates lack this recognition and appear in "regular" or "text" format.

When multiple Excel dates are selected, the status bar provides functions such as "Average", "Count" and "Sum".

Text dates may contain redundant characters, such as apostrophes, and do not support date functions or cannot be sorted by date, so their practicality in calculations and analysis is limited. It will only display the count of values.

Method to convert text to date in Excel

Use the DATEVALUE function

The DATEVALUE function is one of the easiest ways to convert text to date. This function interprets a text string representing a date and converts it to an Excel-recognizable date value.

I just enter the formula =DATEVALUE(A1) (where A1 is the cell containing the date in text format), and Excel returns the correct date format.

Use the text to column function

If I have a whole column where the dates are stored as text, I can use the text to column function:

Step 1: First, I select the column for the text entry.

Step 2: Then I navigate to the Data tab and select Text to column .

Step 3: I select the separator and click Next twice.

Step 4: In the last step, I select the date and select the appropriate format from the drop-down menu (for example, DMY means day, month, year).

This approach is very useful when dealing with large datasets!

Using VALUE function

Sometimes I use VALUE function to convert text to dates, especially if the text dates are in a recognizable format like "2024-09-23". By using =VALUE(A2) , Excel converts text to numeric date values.

These methods ensure that I can quickly and easily convert text strings to dates for analysis or reporting.

Additional tips for date conversion

Quickly fix text dates with double-digit years

Excel's error checking feature provides a quick fix for text dates with two-digit years. When I come across a date column that only displays two-digit years, I can convert them to four-digit years almost effortlessly. Here is how I did:

First, I select all affected cells. If Excel recognizes these text dates as potential errors, a small green triangle appears in the corner of the cell.

Click on the yellow diamond error icon that appears and I can select the "Convert to date" option. With just one simple click, all the two-digit years will become four-digit years, assuming they all belong to the same century.

It should be noted that this method assumes that all dates are from the 1900s or 2000s. This is a powerful feature designed to save time, but should be used with caution, especially when dealing with data across centuries.

Convert multiple text dates simultaneously

For converting multiple text dates simultaneously, using Excel's flash function is a game changer. This feature takes advantage of Excel's pattern recognition capabilities to transform and populate the entire column based on a single example.

To activate it, I start by manually converting a text date to the date format I need, in the cell next to the original data.

Go to the Start tab > Fill > Flash. After entering the date of the initial conversion to trigger the flash fill, Excel will try to fill the entire column in the pattern I set.

This is very effective for large datasets, where manual transformation will be time-consuming.

Frequently Asked Questions about Converting Text to Date in Excel

How to convert text to date in Excel?

To convert text to date in Excel, select the cell that contains the text date. Navigate to the Data tab, click Text to Column, select Delimiter, and continue. Then, under Column Data Format, select Date, select the appropriate format, and complete the wizard. Your text will be converted to date format.

Can I convert a text string with a custom delimiter to a date?

Yes, it is possible to convert text strings with custom delimiters to dates in Excel. Using the Text to Column feature, select Delimiter, specify your custom delimiter, and format the column as a date in the last step of the wizard.

How to convert a serial number to an Excel date?

To convert the serial number to an Excel date, just change the format of the cell. Select a cell, right-click, select "Format Cell", select "Date" from the "Number" tab, and select the date format you want. Excel will display the serial number as date.

What are the restrictions when converting eight digits to dates?

When converting eight digits to dates in Excel, due to the lack of separators, the limitation is that it cannot directly recognize them as dates. You need to use custom formulas that combine LEFT, MID and RIGHT with DATE functions, or structure them into recognizable date formats using the Text-to-Column wizard.

Is it possible to convert multiple text date formats at once?

Yes, multiple text date formats can be converted at once in Excel, by using the Text-to-Column tool or Power Query, different formats can be processed simultaneously if they are applied consistently in the dataset. Flash fill is also useful for pattern recognition across different formats.

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