5 Custom Date Formats I Always Use and You Should Too

A few days back, I have explained about how to convert text into a date.

But sometimes we need to use a custom date format which is not as per standard date formats.

As you know...

...we are blessed with custom formatting so you can create a custom date with a regular date serial number.

The benefit of a custom format is you don't need to change the actual date serial number, that mean you can those dates further in calculations

So today, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite custom date formats which can help you present dates in a unique way.

How to use these Custom Date Formats

To all the formats which I have mentioned above you need to follow below steps.

  1. Select the cell where you want to apply the format.
  2. Now, press right click and select "Format Cell". Or, you can also use a keyboard shortcut Ctrl + 1 to open format cell options.
  3. After that select custom and enter the format in the input bar and click OK.
add custom format to format cell option

#1 - Day Name

This one is my favorite. If you are working on some dates where you want to get the day name only, this custom date format can help you.

“It’s” dddd

day name custom date format in excel

And, if you want to get the day name in short form, you can use below format.

“It’s” ddd

#2 - Day Number

Just like the day name if you want to get the day number you can use this custom format.

“Day” d

a day number with custom date format

#3 - Month Name

This custom date format will help you to get month name for your date value. And, you can also add some custom text as per your requirement.

“Current Month is:” mmmm

a full month name with custom format

#4 - Date with a Day Name

This format gives help you a date with a day name in the end.

dd-mmm-yyyy (ddd)

a simple date with day name with custom format

#5 - ​Long Textual Date

And, if you want a long textual date you can do this by using this below format.

“Today is Day” d”, Month” m “& Year” yyyy.

a long textual date with custom format

Now tell me one thing. Do you have any format which you use? Share with me in the comment section.

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About the Author

Puneet Gogia

He is using Excel since his college days. He helped thousands of people to understand the power of the spreadsheets and learn Microsoft Excel. You can find him online, tweeting about Excel, on a running track, or sometimes hiking up a mountain.

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    • In MS Excel where you select your Number Formats, there is a CUSTOM option at the end of the list which also includes Currency, Date, General and more. Select CUSTOM, then in the TYPE field, use the options above, such as dd/”0″MM/yyyy for 21/009/2017. Hope this helps.
      #yyyy0MMdd Info @ https://goo.gl/cbKPje #1World1Date1Day

      • I’m liking this idea and will start using it. There will be push back but it will eventually catch on.

        • Pushback?! Indeed. So please use it where you can, chat it up, Spread the word!
          #1World1Date1Day
          #1Monde1Date1Jour