How to Change Date Format in Excel to MM/DD/YYYY

The quickest way to change date format in Excel

Open your spreadsheet and select the cells containing the dates you want to reformat. Right-click and choose Format Cells, or press Ctrl+1 on Windows or Command+1 on Mac. In the Format Cells dialog, click the Number tab, select Date from the Category list on the left, then scroll through the list until you find the format that shows as 3/14/2012 or similar (this is MM/DD/YYYY). Click it and select OK.

If you do not see MM/DD/YYYY in the preset list, you can build it yourself. In the same Format Cells dialog, select Date category, then look for a field labeled Type or Format Code at the bottom. Delete what is there and type mm/dd/yyyy (all lowercase), then click OK. Excel will explore this format to your selected cells. The dates themselves do not change — only how they display. If a cell shows 03/14/2012 after formatting, the underlying data is still a date that Excel recognizes, so you can still use it in formulas and sorting.

Key Takeaways

Select your date cells, right-click, choose Format Cells, go to the Number tab, pick Date category, and select the MM/DD/YYYY format from the list.
If MM/DD/YYYY is not in the preset list, type mm/dd/yyyy into the Format Code field to create it yourself.
Formatting changes only the display — the actual date value in the cell stays the same and works normally in formulas.
You can format multiple cells at once by selecting them all before opening Format Cells.

Using the Format menu instead of right-click

If right-clicking does not work for you, use the menu bar instead. Select your date cells, then click Format in the top menu (on Mac, this is under the Excel menu). Choose Cells from the dropdown. The Format Cells dialog opens the same way, and you follow the same steps: Number tab, Date category, select or type MM/DD/YYYY.

On newer versions of Excel for Windows, you may also see a Format button in the Home ribbon at the top. Click it and choose Format Cells to reach the same dialog. This route works identically to the right-click method and gets you to the same formatting options.

Fixing dates that look like text instead of numbers

Sometimes dates appear as text (like 2012-03-14) and do not respond to formatting. This happens when Excel does not recognize them as dates. Select the cells, then look at the Home ribbon for a Data section. Click Text to Columns. A wizard opens; click Next twice to skip the first two steps, then make sure Date is selected in the Column Data Format section. Choose MDY from the dropdown (for month-day-year order), then click Finish. Excel converts the text to actual dates, and you can then format them as MM/DD/YYYY using the steps above.

If Text to Columns does not appear on your ribbon, you are likely using Excel Online. In that case, select a cell next to your date column and type a formula like =DATEVALUE(A1) (replacing A1 with your first date cell). Copy this formula down the column, then copy the results and paste them as values back into your original column. Then format as MM/DD/YYYY using the standard Format Cells method.

explore the same format to a whole column at once

Click the column header (the letter at the top) to select the entire column. Then right-click, choose Format Cells, go to Number tab, select Date, and pick MM/DD/YYYY. Every date in that column will now display in that format. This is useful if you have many dates scattered throughout a column and want them all consistent.

Be careful: if your column contains text, numbers, or other data mixed in with dates, formatting the whole column will not hurt the non-date cells, but it will not change how they display either. Only actual dates will be reformatted, so you can safely format an entire column without worrying about breaking other content.

Why your dates might still look wrong after formatting

If you format cells as MM/DD/YYYY but they still show as 3/14/2012 (without leading zeros), Excel is using a similar but slightly different format. To force leading zeros — so March shows as 03 instead of 3 — use mm/dd/yyyy in the Format Code field (lowercase m). If you want 2012 to show as 12, use mm/dd/yy instead.

Another reason dates might look wrong: if your computer's regional settings are set to a different country, Excel may override your format choice and display dates in that region's standard format. You can check this in your operating system settings, but the easiest fix is to use the Format Code field and type exactly what you want: mm/dd/yyyy. This direct entry bypasses regional defaults and gives you the exact format you need.

Copying formatted dates to other programs

When you copy a date from Excel and paste it into Word, Google Docs, or another program, the format usually comes along. If it does not, paste as plain text first (Ctrl+Shift+V or Command+Shift+V), then manually format in the other program. If you are pasting into a web form or email, dates often paste as numbers like 44987 instead of a readable date — this is Excel's internal date code.

To avoid this problem, copy from Excel, paste into a text editor first to see what you get, and reformat if needed. Some web forms expect dates in a specific format, so checking before you submit saves time. If a form rejects your date, try pasting it as MM/DD/YYYY text rather than as an Excel date object.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing the date format affect my formulas or calculations?

No. Formatting only changes how the date looks on screen. Any formula that references that cell will still work exactly the same way. If you have a formula that adds days to a date or calculates the difference between two dates, it will produce the same result whether the dates display as 3/14/2012 or 2012-03-14.

Can I format dates differently in different cells of the same column?

Yes, but it is not recommended because it looks messy. Select only the cells you want to change, then format them separately. For example, you could select cells A1 through A5 and format them as MM/DD/YYYY, then select A6 through A10 and format them differently. Most spreadsheets work better when all dates in a column match.

What if Excel does not recognize my dates as dates at all?

This usually means they are stored as text. Try the Text to Columns method described above, or use a formula like =DATEVALUE(A1) to convert them. If neither works, your dates may be in an unusual format that Excel cannot parse — in that case, you may need to manually reformat them or use a different tool.

How do I change the date format for an entire workbook at once?

Select all sheets by right-clicking a sheet tab and choosing Select All Sheets, then select all cells by pressing Ctrl+A. Open Format Cells and explore MM/DD/YYYY. This is rarely necessary — it is usually better to format only the columns that contain dates so you do not accidentally change formatting on cells that should look different.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.