Are you looking to add a date to your spreadsheet? In this article, we will show you three different methods to insert a date in Google Sheets that are both simple and effective.
Insert a Date Manually with Formatting
One of the easiest ways to insert a date is to simply write it in an empty cell. However, it is important to ensure that the date is written in the correct format specified in the regional settings of your spreadsheet. If not, the spreadsheet might not recognize it as a date.
Dates are typically written in three popular formatting styles:
- DD/MM/YYYY like October 31, 1990.
- MM/DD/YYYY like October 31, 1990.
- YYYY/MM/DD like December 31, 1990.
The formatting style you should use when writing a date depends on the regional settings of your spreadsheet. You can modify these settings by going to “File” and selecting “Settings”. From there, you can change the regional settings and time zone using the drop-down menus. Don’t forget to save and reload after making any changes.
When using the US regional settings, the accepted date formats are MM-DD-YYYY and YYYY-MM-DD, whether you write the date in words or numbers. If you write the date in words, the spreadsheet will automatically convert it to the accepted format. However, if you write it in numbers, the spreadsheet might not recognize it as a date.
Insert a Date with Data Validation
Another way to insert a date is by using data validation. With data validation, you can strictly control the type of data that can be entered into a cell. You can specify if a cell only accepts text, numbers, or a date.
To use data validation for dates:
- Go to the “Data” menu and select “Data Validation”.
- In the “Cell Range” section, select the range of cells where you want to apply the validation.
- In the “Criteria” section, select “Date” from the first drop-down menu and “is a valid date” from the second drop-down menu.
- In the “Invalid Data” section, select the option to “Reject input”. This determines what happens when data that doesn’t meet the specified criteria is entered.
- Optionally, check the “Appearance” option and add a message like “Enter a valid date”. This message will be displayed when invalid data is entered.
- Click “Save”.
Now, when you double-click on a cell in the date column, a calendar will appear where you can easily select the desired date.
Insert a Date with the DATE Function
The last method we will discuss is using the DATE function. This method is particularly useful when you have the date components in separate columns and want to combine them into a single date value.
The DATE function syntax is as follows:
=DATE(year, month, day)- year is the value of the year you want to return.
- month is the value of the month you want to return.
- day is the value of the day you want to return.
For example, the following formula combines the “Year”, “Month”, and “Day” columns and returns the corresponding date:
=DATE(B3, C3, D3)Conclusion
Whether you need to create a column of dates or fill in missing dates, these methods can help you easily accomplish the task. You can choose to manually enter the date when only a few dates are missing or use data validation when creating a column of dates in a new dataset. If your dataset already has the day, month, and year components, the DATE function can easily combine them into a single column.
Do you have any other methods for inserting dates in Google Sheets? Let us know in the comments!
