How To Understand Date And Time Formatting Codes In Excel

Do you struggle to make sense of date and time formatting codes in Excel? If yes, this blog will help you unlock the mysteries of Excel’s formatting codes and easily navigate time-sensitive data. You’ll be a pro in no time!

Understanding Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel

As an Excel user, you have likely experienced date and time data in your spreadsheets. It can be annoying when Excel doesn’t format these values correctly. But have you thought of using formatting codes to tailor your dates and times? This guide will explore the ins and outs of understanding date and time formatting codes in Excel.

We’ll begin by looking into basic date and time format codes that come preset in Excel. Then we’ll dive into custom date and time formatting codes you can create for your specific needs.

So, get ready to take your Excel date and time formatting to the next level – regardless of your skill level!

Basic Date and Time Format Codes

Let’s make a table with some common Basic Date and Time Format Codes. For example, “dd/mm/yyyy” produces date format such as “25/12/2021”. Keep in mind, the codes depend on your location. In the USA, it is typical to use mm/dd/yyyy, whereas in other countries like Australia, dd/mm/yyyy. Excel can convert this into your preferred format.

Code	Output Example	Description
dd	25	Day of the month, 2 digits
mm	12	Month, 2 digits
yyyy	2021	4 digit year
yy	21	2 digit year
hh	08	Hours, 2 digits (00-23)
nn	31	Minutes, 2 digits
ss	15	Seconds, 2 digits

Knowing these codes makes it easier to display data in your desired manner. Last year I had to report on payments from clients for my job. The payment system data was not accurate, as it was recorded using different formats. Using these codes helped me organize the data uniformly and make it look more pleasing.

Now, we will discuss “Custom Date and Time Format Codes”.

Custom Date and Time Format Codes

Custom Date and Time Format Codes are helpful for customizing dates and times. Here’s a table that explains the codes:

Code	Explanation
d	day of month (1-31)
dd	day of month (01-31)
m	month (1-12)
mm	month (01-12)
mmm	abbreviated month name (Jan-Dec)
mmmm	full month name (January-December)
yy	year without century (00-99)
yyyy	year with century (1900-9999)
h	hour using 12-hour clock (1-12)
hh	hour using 12-hour clock (01-12)
H	hour using 24-hour clock (0-23)
HH	hour using 24-hour clock (00-23)

For example, “Monday, January 2022” could be written using the code “dddd, mmmm yyyy“. It’s not only Excel that uses these codes; other software programs use them too. In the next section, we’ll discuss how to use the codes in Excel.

Exploring Date Formatting Codes in Excel

I’m a big Excel fan! I’ve found that understanding the date and time formatting codes is difficult. But, with practice, I can save time and customize data analysis. Here, let’s explore date formatting codes in Excel.

Firstly, we’ll look at the basic codes that Excel gives us. These are great for making professional spreadsheets. Secondly, we’ll learn about custom codes. These allow for more complex, personalized solutions. By the end, you’ll feel confident using Excel’s date and time formatting codes quickly and accurately.

Basic Date Formatting Codes

Let’s check a table to understand basic date formatting codes better. It shows:

Date Format	Description
mm/dd/yyyy	Month, day and year
m/d/yy	Month, day and year
d-mmm-yy	Day, abbreviated month
mmm-yyyy	Full month and year

Remember, Excel reads “/”, “-” and “.” as separators between date parts. Thus, entering the date in any of the formats with those 3 separators, Excel will automatically recognize it.

Moreover, we can create custom formats by combining codes, e.g., “mmm-yy” to just display month and year.

Pro Tip: If you often work with dates on weekends or holidays or have specific working days, use conditional formatting rules in Excel.

Now, let’s explore Custom Date Formatting Codes.

Custom Date Formatting Codes

mm/dd/yyyy is a commonly used custom date formatting code in Excel. d-mmm-yy displays dates with abbreviated months and 0’s when necessary. dddd, mmmm dd, yyyy shows weekday names, full month name, and a four-digit year. To show only the month name, use mmmm. To include time with custom date formats, use h:mm AM/PM or hh:mm:ss for military time. Hundreds of date formatting codes offer great flexibility to achieve desired results. Experimentation can help you easily achieve your goal. Now, let’s explore time formatting codes in Excel!

Exploring Time Formatting Codes in Excel

Excel user? Confused by the many time and date formatting choices? Let’s explore the basics of time formatting codes and how you can use them to format your data. Buckle up, we’re about to take you on a journey. We’ll uncover the features and benefits of Excel’s time formatting codes. Get ready for an exciting ride!

Basic Time Formatting Codes

In Excel, we have some Basic Time Formatting Codes to help us work efficiently with time-based data.

• The code “h” displays hours without leading zeros.
• The code “hh” adds leading zeros for single-digit hours.
• “m” shows minutes without leading zeros and “mm” adds leading zeros for single-digit minutes.
• Plus, “s” and “ss” stand for seconds with and without leading zeros respectively.
• The code “AM/PM” helps us distinguish between morning and afternoon time.

These codes can be really helpful! To make sure you never miss important deadlines or meetings, it’s worth taking some time to understand them and practice using them regularly.

And, that’s not all – there are Custom Time Formatting Codes too. Let’s learn more about them to optimize and improve date/time related analyses.

Custom Time Formatting Codes

Let’s take a look at a table to better understand these codes. The first column shows time values in their actual Excel format (e.g. 1:30:00 PM). The second column has the corresponding custom formatting code (e.g. h:mm:ss AM/PM).

The custom formatting code has letters, symbols and square brackets. Each character or symbol tells how the time value should be displayed.

For instance, “h” means hours (in 12-hour format), “mm” means minutes with leading zeros, and “ss” stands for seconds with leading zeros. Square brackets around “h” show total hours greater than 24.

Pro Tip: You can use colors with custom formatting codes. For example, “[h]” can show total hours greater than 24 in red font.

The next heading will explain how dates are formatted and how date/time functions work with dates and times.

Understanding Date and Time Formatting in Excel

Ah, Excel date and time formatting… Complicated? Fear not! I’m here to make it simpler. This part is about the basics of working with dates and times in Excel. We’ll be looking at formatting codes for dates and times, as well as customized codes. By the end, you’ll be a pro at Excel date and time formatting!

Basic Date and Time Formatting Codes

To format dates and times in Excel, you need to understand the codes used. Here’s a table of the most common ones:

Code	Description	Example
d	Day (1-31)	22
dd	Day (01-31)	22
ddd	Abbreviated day of week (Mon-Sun)	Tue
dddd	Full day of week (Monday-Sunday)	Tuesday
m	Month number (1-12)	4
mm	Month number (01-12)	04
mmm	Abbreviated month name (Jan-Dec)	Apr
mmmm	Full month name (January-December)	April
yy or yyyy	Year without/with century	17 or 2017

For example, enter “dddd mmmm d, yyyy” into Excel’s ‘Custom’ option to show the date today as “Tuesday April 22, 2003.”

These codes come in handy when importing data from other sources. For instance, when data about products and their date of manufacture is in the form “1/2/2022” or “02-Jan-22”, Excel can interpret these dates correctly if the right code is used.

Custom Date and Time Formatting Codes

We’ll now look at custom date and time formatting codes that give more flexibility when formatting your data.

Custom Date and Time Formatting Codes

We’ll start off with the table below that shows some of the common formatting codes used in Excel.

Code	Description
d	Day
dd	Day (with zero)
m	Month
mm	Month (with zero)
yy	Year (last two digits)
yyyy	Year

These are just some of the most popular codes, but there are many more to choose from.

Remember that date values in Excel are represented as integers and time values as decimals. To combine both, you can add a space between them.

Using custom formatting codes gives you the power to display dates or times in whatever way you want. For instance, you don’t have to display the full date and time value; you could just show the month or year.

At first, understanding all of these formatting codes might seem overwhelming. However, as with anything, practice is key to mastering them.

In conclusion, although learning about Custom Date and Time Formatting Codes may seem challenging, it’s really quite simple when broken down into smaller parts. Now, let’s move on and explore Working with Dates and Times in Excel.

Working with Dates and Times in Excel

Dates and times in Excel? Tricky. Need to know formatting codes. Here’s some tips.

1. First, use Excel functions like DATE and TIME.
2. TEXT function helps format date/time data.
3. Lastly, DATEDIF for calculating dates/times.

Let’s jump in!

Using DATE and TIME Functions

Text:

Enter your date or time data into the appropriate cells of your Excel worksheet. Select the cell or cells that will contain the result of calculation. Click on the “Insert Function” button in the toolbar or type “=DATE” or “=TIME” in a blank cell.

Inside the parentheses, enter the required arguments for the function (e.g., year, month, day). Press “Enter” or click “OK” to generate the result.

DATE and TIME Functions provide many benefits. With these functions you can calculate values easily. Excel offers many DATE and TIME functions.

Before adding them into your formulae, understand how they operate. Test each formula with sample data to make sure the calculations are correct.

Next, we’ll cover Using TEXT Function for Formatting which involves formatting date & time into different styles according to our preferences.

Using the TEXT Function for Formatting

The TEXT function has a necessary syntax. The first argument is the value that needs to be converted into text. This could be a cell reference, a formula result, or a static value. The second argument is a string with a formatting code that states how the value should be shown as text.

Using the TEXT function is common for dates. For example, if a date in cell A1 has the format “dd/mm/yyyy”, but you want it to show as “mm/dd/yyyy”, then use this formula: =TEXT(A1, “mm/dd/yyyy”). To show only the month and year of a date, use this formula: =TEXT(A1, “mmm yyyy”).

The TEXT function also helps to format time values differently. To show a time value in cell A1 without seconds, use this formula: =TEXT(A1, “hh:mm”). To convert 24-hour time values into 12-hour time values with AM/PM indicators, use this formula: =TEXT(A1, “h:mm AM/PM”).

Formatting codes with the TEXT function are case-sensitive. For instance, “M” is for months without leading zeros (1-12), whereas “m” is for minutes with leading zeros (00-59). Therefore, the correct formatting code should be used to get the desired result.

Calculating Dates and Times with the DATEDIF Function

Let’s break down the DATEDIF Function into a table.

Argument	Definition
Start Date	The starting date for the calculation.
End Date	The ending date for the calculation.
Interval	A string that determines the type of calculation (days, months, or years).

By using these 3 arguments, input two dates and choose how to calculate the difference. For instance, a project deadline is June 30th and today’s date is May 15th. To find out how many days left until the deadline, type =DATEDIF("5/15/2021", "6/30/2021", "D"). Output: 46 days. If wanted to know how many complete months are left, change the “D” argument to “M”. Formula: =DATEDIF("5/15/2021", "6/30/2021", "M"). Output: 1 month.

I once had a big event and wanted to keep track of the remaining days. I used Excel’s DATEDIF Function to input current and event dates. Displayed this info in a cell that was visible on my spreadsheet dashboard. This helped me stay on track and make sure everything was ready in time.

FAQs about How To Understand Date And Time Formatting Codes In Excel

What are Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel?

Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel are codes that allow you to customize the way dates and times are displayed in your worksheet. These codes can be used to change the formatting of dates and times, such as the order of the day, month, and year, as well as the time zone and AM/PM designation.

How can I apply Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel?

To apply a Date or Time Formatting Code in Excel, first select the cell or range of cells you want to format. Then, right-click the cell and select “Format Cells” from the menu. In the Format Cells dialog box, select the “Number” tab and then select “Date” or “Time” from the list of categories. From there, you can choose from a variety of pre-defined formatting codes or create your own.

What are some common Date and Time Formatting Codes used in Excel?

Some common Date and Time Formatting Codes used in Excel include:
– “mm/dd/yyyy” which displays the date in the format of month/day/year
– “dd-mmm-yy” which displays the date in the format of day-month abbreviation-year
– “h:mm AM/PM” which displays the time in the format of hours:minutes AM/PM

Can I create my own Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel?

Yes, you can create your own Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel. Simply select the “Custom” category in the Format Cells dialog box and then enter the desired format code into the “Type” field. You can also use the “Help” button to access a list of available codes and see examples of how they are displayed.

What is the difference between “Short Date” and “Long Date” formatting codes in Excel?

The “Short Date” formatting code displays the date in a short format that is easy to read and understand. This typically includes only the day, month, and year, and is often formatted based on the regional settings of your computer. The “Long Date” formatting code includes additional information such as the day of the week, and may be formatted differently depending on the language and regional settings used.

Can I use Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel formulas?

Yes, you can use Date and Time Formatting Codes in Excel formulas. For example, you can use the “TEXT” function to convert a date or time value into a specific format. The syntax for the function is: =TEXT(value, format_text). The “value” argument is the date or time you want to convert, and the “format_text” argument is the Date or Time Formatting Code you want to use.