How to change Date Format in Google Sheets and Excel Online

Although Google Sheets and Excel Online are two of the best free online spreadsheets editing apps, you may not like certain features of them. For example, the date format. In case you do not want to use the predefined date or time format, you can change them in Google Sheet and Excel Online. For your information, you do not need to use an add-on or any other third-party service to get it done.

There is no limit on what you can write or insert in an Excel spreadsheet. From writing simple text to image to date and time, you can add almost anything to your Excel file. When you add a date, it uses a predefined format. Even though you need a format like 02/08/2021, Excel Online and Google Sheets may use something else, like 08-02-2021. At times, you might not like such a change due to a lack of familiarity. In such situations, you can follow this guide to use a custom or different date or time format in Google Sheets and Excel Online.

How to change Date Format in Google Sheets

To change the date format in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Sheets on your browser.
2. Click on the date/time cell.
3. Go to Format > Number.
4. Select the Custom date and time option.
5. Select a date/time format.
6. Click the Apply button.

To learn more about these steps, continue reading.

First, you need to open the Google Sheet on your browser. Then, click on the cell, which displays the date and time.

After that, click on the Format menu on the top menu bar, and select the Number option. Then, select the Custom date and time option.

Here you can find a list of various formats for date and time. You can select an option that you like and click the Apply button.

Once done, you can find the new format.

The above-mentioned steps help you change the date or time format for a particular cell. However, if you want to apply the same change across all cells, you need to select the entire spreadsheet first. After that, you can follow the same method as above.

How to change Date Format in Excel Online

To change the date format in Excel Online, follow these steps:

1. Open Excel Online on your computer.
2. Right-click on the date/time cell.
3. Select the Number Format option.
4. Switch to the Date tab.
5. Select a date format you like.
6. Click the OK button.

Let’s check out these steps in detail.

To get started, you need to open a spreadsheet in Excel Online. Then, right-click on the date/time cell and select the Number Format option from the context menu.

Once the window is opened, switch to the Date tab. Here you can find numerous options for dates. You can choose one as per your requirements.

Then, click the OK button to save the change.

For your information, you can visit the Time tab to set a custom format to time as well. Also, like Google Sheets, you can change the format of date and time for all cells at once if you select the entire spreadsheet first.

Can I change the date format in Google Sheets?

Yes, you can change the date format in Google Sheets. For that, you need to select the cell first. Then, go to Format > Number and select the Custom date and time option. After that, choose a format you like and click the Apply button. If you want to apply the change for the entire spreadsheet, you need to select it first.

How do I change the date format in Excel 365?

To change the date format in Excel 365, select the cell in your spreadsheet and go to Format > Format Cells. You can find this option in the Home tab. Then, switch to the Date tab and select a format as per your wish. At last, click the OK button to save the change.

That’s all! Hope it helped.

Read: How to stop Excel from rounding numbers.