How to convert date stored as text to date in Excel?
Occasionally, when you copy or import dates from other data sources to Excel cell, the date might become formatted and stored as texts. And here I introduce the tricks to convert such these dates stored as texts to standard dates in Excel.
Convert text date with 2 digits years to date by Error Checking
If the years in text dates are represented as two digits, such as 07/01/14, you can apply Error Checking utility to quickly convert text dates to standard dates.
1. Enable the sheet contains text dates, and click Formulas > Error Checking. See screenshot:
2. In the popping dialog, you can specify to convert the years to 19XX or 20XX, see screenshot:
3. Then repeat to click Convert XX to 19XX or Convert XX to 20XX to convert text date with 2 digits years to standard dates one by one until a dialog pops out to tell you all the error check has been finished. See screenshot:
Now all the text dates with two digits years have been converted to standard dates.
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Convert multiple text date to date with formula
With Error Checking only can convert text dates with 2 digits years to standard dates, for other text dates, you can apply the =DATEVALUE() formula.
1. Select a blank cell next to the text dates, and type this formula =DATEVALUE(E1) (E1 is the text date), and press Enter key to get a 5-digits number, and then drag this cell’s AutoFill handle to the range as you need.
2. Then keep the number strings selected, and press Ctrl + 1 to open Format Cells dialog, and click Date under Category list, and select a type of date formatting you need from right section. See screenshot:
3. Click OK, now the text dates have been converted to dates.
Convert various text date to date with Kutools for Excel
If you have Kutools for Excel installed, you can apply its Convert to Date utility to quickly convert text dates to dates.
After free installing Kutools for Excel, please do as below:
Select the text dates and click Kutools > Content > Convert to Date. See screenshot:
Now the text dates have been converted to standard dates.
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