This article explains how to use the DATE VALUE function in any version of Excel, including Excel 2019 and Microsoft 365.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Doug H | 2014-12-03 08:00:01 |  128,671 Views |
Make Excel recognize dates with the DATE VALUE function
The DATE VALUE function in Excel converts a text-formatted date to a serial number. Excel can then read the serial number to understand the date.
This Excel function is necessary when a cell contains date information but it is stored in plain text. Instead of automatically converting it to a date, Excel sees the cell as just numbers and letters, making it difficult to work with. This can happen if the date has been copied or imported from somewhere else.
You can use the DATEVALUE Excel function to create the date's serial number which can then be used to properly format it as a date and use it with other date-based formulas, sort it with other dates, etc.
