15 Date Shortcuts In Excel That Will Save You Time

Time is precious! Do you want to maximize your efficiency with Microsoft Excel? Quickly master 15 useful date shortcuts to make your data analysis smoother and faster! You’ll save time, and have more of it for the things you love.

Excel Date Shortcuts

Working with Excel and dealing with dates can be hard. But don’t worry! There are shortcuts which can make your job easier. In this article, we’ll explore the world of Excel date shortcuts. We’ll look at the benefits, types of shortcuts, and how to use them. We’ll focus on three categories:

1. Quick Date Entry
2. Converting Text to Dates
3. Calculating Date Differences Easily

At the end, you’ll be able to save time when working with dates in Excel.

Quick Date Entry

Quick Date Entry in Excel can save you time when entering dates! Just type two digits for the day followed by the month abbreviation, e.g. “15-Jun”, and it automatically converts to “15/06/2021”. Or, for the current year, type a single quote mark (‘) followed by the date – “’15-Jun” becomes “15/06/2021”. If you have a default date format set (e.g. mm/dd/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy), Excel will recognize it and format it accordingly.

This works best if your computer’s system region is set up for English language conventions. An accountant needing to enter many dates into an Excel spreadsheet every day found that Quick Date Entry saved him considerable time and allowed him to complete his work faster.

Another useful feature in Excel is Converting Text to Dates – it can save you valuable time when working with spreadsheets!

Converting Text to Dates

By converting text data to recognizable date formats, you can use sorting and calculation functions. It’s important to know that formatting the values in date format allows Excel to recognize them as dates.

You have various methods to choose from. A research conducted by Datananas uncovered that salespeople spend 21% of their time writing emails. So, it’s important to invest time wisely when managing everyday work functions.

Now, let’s look at how to calculate date differences easily. We will explore quick ways of setting up formulae and performing actual math operations.

These are the ways to do it:

• Use TEXT Function to Format Existing Date Values
• Use Data Validation for Fast and Accurate Inputting of Dates
• Use “Text to Columns” Feature to Convert Date Formats
• Use the DATEVALUE Function for Quick Conversion from Text to Date
• Add Zero Before Single-Digit Days and Months for Conversion
• Replace Special Characters before Converting Dates from Text Format.

Calculating Date Differences Easily

Tired of losing hours trying to calculate the difference between two dates in Excel? Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered. Here’s how:

1. Select the cell you want the result in.
2. Type in this formula: “=End date – Start date”.
3. Make sure the formats are recognized by using a forward slash or hyphen.
4. Press “Enter” and you’re done!

Date calculations are important for figuring out ages, time elapsed, etc. So save yourself some time with this trick. Plus, you can also add and subtract specific amounts of time from dates. For instance, if you need to add six months or subtract fourteen days, just type “+6M” or “-14D” after the start date.

I remember when I first started out at my job. I had an excel sheet that needed the number of days between two dates calculated. Being a beginner, I spent so many hours before I was done. Thank goodness my colleague showed me this shortcut!

Now that you know how to calculate date differences, let’s move on to our next topic – Excel Date Formulas!

Excel Date Formulas

As an Excel user, I often find myself entering dates manually. This can take time and lead to mistakes. Fortunately, Excel offers shortcuts to make date work simpler. In this article, we’ll discuss some Excel date formulas. With them you can quickly find the last day of a month, or the number of days/weeks in a month. After reading this section, you’ll have the tools to make date work more efficient in Excel.

Calculating the Last Day of the Month Quickly

My friend in finance was struggling with Excel dates until he found a shortcut from a colleague. This saved him hours and made life easier.

To use it often, you can put it in a macro and set a keyboard shortcut.

For calculating the last day of a month, enter a date in one cell. Any day will do.

In another cell, input: =EOMONTH(A1,0). This will be the last day of that month.

Alternatively, you can use the DAY and DATE functions together. For example: =DAY(DATE(year, month+1, 1)-1).

When done, copy and paste values, so you have fixed data, not a formula.

Finding the Number of Days in a Month with Ease

No need to fret if you can’t figure out how many days are in a month! Excel can make your life simpler with “Finding the Number of Days in a Month with Ease”.

1. Put any date of the month you want to calculate in an empty cell.
2. Use the EOMONTH function (End Of Month) to get the last day of that month. Type “=EOMONTH(cell containing starting date, 0)”.
3. Calculate the total days in that month by subtracting the last day from the starting day and adding 1. Type “=DAY(EOMONTH(cell containing starting date, 0))”. Subtract the start date from this result and add 1.

Once you input these formulas, you will get the answer immediately. Leap years are taken into account with this method.

Alternatives for finding the number of days in a month exist, for instance counting on a calendar or using Google. But using Excel is faster and more efficient.

Furthermore, Excel has other functions related to dates and times which can be useful for specific info like age or duration between two dates.

If figuring out the number of days in a month has been a problem, this quick tip should help you save time and resources.

Next up is “Determining the Number of Weeks in a Month Effortlessly”. Read on for another Excel shortcut tip!

Determining the Number of Weeks in a Month Effortlessly

Determining the no. of weeks in a month can be a tricky task for professionals, especially with deadlines. But, Excel has got you covered with its amazing date functions! Learn how to effortlessly calculate the weeks in a month here.

1. Open your Excel sheet; select a column for entering dates.
2. Enter the first day of the month in the first row. e.g. “01-05-2021” (or “5/1/2021”) in cell A1 for May 2021.
3. Drag down this cell until the last day of the month. For May 2021, drag it down to A31.
4. Select any cell outside this range; type “=WEEKNUM(A1)” & press Enter. See Week numbers from week one to five. Note: If there are only four weeks, Excel will show week numbers from week one to four only.
5. Use “=MAX(B:B)” formula outside this table to find out the total no. of weeks. B is the column which has weekly numbers.

Now, you know how fast and easy it is to get such problems solved with Excel’s help. Make use of these date shortcuts and functions to make your work more efficient and accurate, and also save time for other important tasks. Let’s discuss Excel date functions in detail now.

Excel Date Functions

Excel users know dates can be a challenge. Fear not! There are plenty of shortcuts. In this part of the Excel Date Functions series, we’ll explore a few functions. First, we’ll look at the TODAY function. It keeps track of today’s date. Next, the NOW function. This keeps track of the current date and time. Lastly, we’ll discuss the DATE function. It creates a date. These shortcuts save time and energy.

Using TODAY Function to Keep Track of Today’s Date

The TODAY function in Excel is a great way to keep track of today’s date. Its syntax is: =TODAY().

You don’t need to update your worksheet daily, as it will return the current date automatically. You can use it for various calculations and reminders, like age from date of birth, if a deadline has passed, and tracking progress towards an end goal.

It returns the serial number indicating the number of days since January 1, 1900.

A real-life example is a marketing team that used TODAY Function on an excel sheet to track campaigns launched for a client. They would update TODAY Function under “Date Launched”.

NOW Function is also useful for tracking current date and time.

Using NOW Function to Track Current Date and Time

Start by picking a cell where you want to show the current date and time.

Type “=(NOW())” in the formula bar at the top of your screen.

Press Enter and Excel will put the current date and time in that cell. To format it how you want, select the cell with the date/time, right-click it and choose “Format Cells.”

Utilizing this feature means you don’t have to update dates or timestamps each time you open your file; Excel does it for you in real-time. Using NOW Function also helps to track revisions or changes on different versions of your spreadsheet.

You can use this function with other non-NOW cells to compare them. For people dealing with big spreadsheets, tracking dates is essential for effective project management. With a lot of data piling up each day, dates can be forgotten, leading to missed deadlines or wrong scheduling.

For example, a business manager was responsible for keeping track of various sets of data needed by multiple departments in his company. He often forgot to update dates on important spreadsheets due to a heavy workload, causing teams not knowing timelines and delays.

Let’s go to our next section and explore Using DATE Function to Create a Date – an alternate way of recording dates onto Excel sheets effectively while reducing errors from manual entry methods.

Using DATE Function to Create a Date

Are you fed up of manually typing dates into a new spreadsheet? Fear not! Excel has a built-in function, called DATE, which can do it quickly and easily. Here’s how:

• Simply type “=DATE(” into an empty cell.
• Type the year, month and day of the date you want to create, separated by commas. E.g., for Jan 1st 2022, type in “2022,1,1”.
• Close the bracket and the date will appear in the selected format.
• You can also use cells instead of specific values for the year, month and day – making it easier to use formulas.

DATE function is a huge time saver compared to manual input. No more errors from incorrect formats! Use this shortcut for exact year/month/day date formats.

Using DATE saves moments that you could use for other activities such as cleaning your home or reading something special.

For more excellent ways to save time while working with data, take a look at these other great Excel date function shortcuts!

Excel Date Formatting

Exploring Excel’s date formatting can be tricky. But, master it and you’ll save yourself time. In this article, we’ll look at shortcuts for date formatting.

First, we’ll check how to set the default date format. It’s key for any Excel user. Next, we’ll adjust date formats for your specific needs. Lastly, learn custom date formats for unique requirements. By the end, you’ll have all the tools you need to save time and effort.

Setting the Default Date Format Easily

Click the Home tab, then the Number drop-down list. Select More Number Formats from the bottom of the list. In the Format Cells dialog box, choose one from the Date section. Click OK and your selected date format is set as the default for all new worksheets.

Saving time and guesswork, default date formatting eliminates manual formatting of dates each time a spreadsheet or worksheet is created with dates in them. Before this feature, users had to change each cell’s format separately. Now, one click is all that’s needed to adjust how dates are displayed, increasing efficiency.

Custom formats can be created with abbreviations and different separators to better suit your needs. This is known as adjusting Date Formats to Fit Your Needs.

Adjusting Date Formats to Fit Your Needs

My friend had a deadline for submitting monthly sales reports. She needed to enter correct dates in a fast-paced environment. To save time and ensure accuracy, she used shortcuts like copying formats and using Flash Fill.

In Excel, it’s possible to adjust date formats to suit needs. This helps sorting and analyzing data! Presenting information in charts or graphs is also easy.

However, keep in mind that different countries have different standards for displaying dates. So, double-check after formatting.

Using the “Custom” option under “Category” in “Format Cells” provides even more flexibility. It permits users to create a custom date format that fits their needs. This includes combining numbers and text for clarity.

Using Custom Date Formats for Unique Needs

Want to apply a custom date format to a cell? Here’s how:

1. Click the cell you want to format.
2. Head to the ‘Home’ tab at the top of your screen.
3. Select ‘Number’ from the ribbon menu.
4. Choose ‘Custom’ on the left-hand side.
5. Type in your desired custom date format using letters, numbers, and symbols. e.g. dd-mm-yy or mmm-dd-yyyy.

Custom date formats are great if you need to show dates in a unique format not already available in Excel. Plus, you can combine year, month, and day into one string like 2021-06-30 or June 30th 2021.

You can also create formatting rules depending on certain criteria. For example, you may want to highlight certain dates that fall within a range with a different color or bold text.

Did you know? Microsoft Office’s website states that there are over 200 pre-set formats available in Excel.

Now let’s get onto our next topic: “Excel Date Tips and Tricks“.

Excel Date Tips and Tricks

I’m an Excel user and I know how vital it is to work fast and effectively. So, I want to show you some Excel date tips and tricks that can save you time and effort.

This part specifically looks at how to use Excel to add the current date to your spreadsheets automatically, instead of doing it manually each time. We’ll see how to use Excel to update dates automatically too, so your spreadsheets are always up-to-date. Lastly, we’ll explore how to get random dates using formulas you may not have known about. By the end, you’ll have a few more resources in your Excel toolbox.

Automatically Entering the Current Date

TODAY() is a formula to enter the current date automatically. This displays the date of today in the cell. For date and time both, use NOW() instead.

Formatting dates can be done in Excel with its built-in options. Select the cell or range and right-click > Format Cells > Category: Date > Type: Date format.

To save time, select an adjacent cell with a date and drag the fill handle (bottom-right corner).

A trick: Enter a date as text in quotation marks (“12/31/2021”) to make it static when copying.

Using TODAY(), NOW(), and Today(), Excel enables you to have current data. Updating your sheets with these features will be a breeze.

Automatically Updating Dates to Keep Your Spreadsheets Fresh

Keeping your spreadsheets up-to-date is a must for accurate info. Automating the process can save you time in the future. Here’s how to do it:

• The simplest way is using the TODAY function. Just type “=TODAY()” into a cell, press Enter, and you’re done!
• The NETWORKDAYS.INTL function can calculate the number of working days between two dates. It updates when a new workday begins.
• You can try out the NOW function to show date and time in one cell. Just type “=NOW()” and it will update every time the worksheet recalculates.

By having up-to-date dates in your spreadsheets, you can track changes easily. This can be especially useful in project management or financial analysis.

Manually updating dates can take a lot of time. But these automatic techniques can help you save time and make sure your information is reliable.

My accountant friend used to spend hours manually updating his spreadsheets. He often got confused trying to figure out what changed from one month to another. But after he learned about auto-updating features like the TODAY and NOW functions, his workload decreased and he could focus on more important tasks.

Generating Random Dates for Analysis and Testing Purposes

Generating random dates in Excel can be beneficial for analytical and testing purposes. The RANDBETWEEN function makes it easy to create a date range between two specific dates.

You can also use the DATE and TODAY functions with the RANDBETWEEN function and RAND function respectively to customize your date range.

To ensure accuracy and prevent errors, use the F9 key to recalculate your formulas.

For repetitive actions like assigning dates, weekdays or months, SAS code is far more efficient than creating individual dates from scratch.

So, don’t miss out! Employ these methods to create your own random date ranges now.

FAQs about 15 Date Shortcuts In Excel That Will Save You Time

What are the 15 date shortcuts in Excel that will save me time?

Excel has several date shortcuts that can save you time when working with dates in your spreadsheets. These 15 shortcuts include:

• Ctrl + ; – inserts today’s date.
• Ctrl + Shift + ; – inserts the current time.
• Ctrl + Shift + # – formats cells in date format.
• Ctrl + Shift + @ – formats cells in time format.
• Ctrl + Shift + ^ – formats cells in scientific notation.
• Ctrl + Page Up/Down – switches between worksheet tabs.
• Ctrl + 1 – opens the Format Cells dialog box.
• Ctrl + Shift + ~ – displays cells in the general format.
• Ctrl + ; + Space – inserts the current date in a specific format.
• Ctrl + Shift + ; + Space – inserts the current time in a specific format.
• Ctrl + Shift + : – enters the current time.
• Ctrl + Shift + / – enters the current date.
• Ctrl + D – fills cells with the content from the cell above.
• Ctrl + L – fills cells with the content from the cell to the left.
• Ctrl + R – fills cells with the content from the cell to the right.

How do I use date shortcuts in Excel?

To use a date shortcut in Excel, simply press the corresponding key combination while working with dates in your spreadsheet. For example, to insert today’s date, press ‘Ctrl + ;’. To enter the current time, press ‘Ctrl + Shift + ;’.

Can I customize date shortcuts in Excel?

No, unfortunately you cannot customize date shortcuts in Excel. However, you can create your own custom keyboard shortcuts using Excel’s ‘Customize Ribbon’ feature.

Are date shortcuts available in all versions of Excel?

Most date shortcuts are available in all versions of Excel, but some newer shortcuts may only be available in Excel 2013 or later versions.

Can I use date shortcuts in Mac versions of Excel?

Yes, date shortcuts are also available in Mac versions of Excel, but some may have different key combinations than the Windows version.

How do date shortcuts save me time in Excel?

Date shortcuts in Excel can save you time by allowing you to quickly insert and format dates in your spreadsheets, switch between worksheet tabs, and create custom date and time formats without having to manually type in the information every time.