DATEVALUE function
Converts a date in the form of text to a serial number
Converts a date in the form of text to a serial number.
Syntax
DATEVALUE(date_text)Square brackets indicate optional arguments.
Arguments
| Argument | Required | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| date_text | Yes | Text that represents a date in an Excel date format, or a reference to a cell that contains text that represents a date in an Excel date format. For example, "1/30/2008" or "30-Jan-2008" are text strings within quotation marks that represent dates.
Using the default date system in Microsoft Excel for Windows, the date_text argument must represent a date between January 1, 1900 and December 31, 9999. The DATEVALUE function returns the #VALUE! error value if the value of the date_text argument falls outside of this range.
If the year portion of the date_text argument is omitted, the DATEVALUE function uses the current year from your computer's built-in clock. Time information in the date_text argument is ignored."2024-8-8" |
Try DATEVALUE
Convert an English month-name date into a serial
=DATEVALUE(A2)The supplied text names January explicitly and converts to the Excel date serial for 5 January 2026. Text parsing depends on regional settings in native Excel; numeric DATE inputs avoid that ambiguity.
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DATEVALUE · top-level call
=DATEVALUE(A2)1 / 1 · date_text
Text that represents a date in an Excel date format, or a reference to a cell that contains text that represents a date in an Excel date format. For example, "1/30/2008" or "30-Jan-2008" are text strings within quotation marks that represent dates. Using the default date system in Microsoft Excel for Windows, the date_text argument must represent a date between January 1, 1900 and December 31, 9999. The DATEVALUE function returns the #VALUE! error value if the value of the date_text argument falls outside of this range. If the year portion of the date_text argument is omitted, the DATEVALUE function uses the current year from your computer's built-in clock. Time information in the date_text argument is ignored.
DATEVALUE reference ↗Follow the cells behind a result
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Reference and compatibility
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