An Excel date formula allows you to perform calculations like adding days, months, or years, finding the difference between dates, or dynamically generating today’s date. 📅 Whether you’re building financial models, tracking projects, or automating reports, date formulas make your spreadsheets smarter and more time-aware. From basic to advanced use cases, these formulas work across Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu, with handy keyboard shortcuts to speed things up. 🚀
🧠 Why Use Date Formulas in Excel?
Excel date formulas help you:
- Calculate due dates, project timelines, or aging reports
- Format dates for reporting or exports
- Generate today’s or tomorrow’s date automatically
- Count how many days or months between two dates
- Build calendars, schedules, and time-based dashboards 🗓️
They’re essential for planners, accountants, HR professionals, and data analysts!
📌 Basic Excel Date Functions
| Function | Purpose | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
TODAY() | Returns current date | =TODAY() | 2025-04-18 |
NOW() | Returns current date + time | =NOW() | 2025-04-18 10:30 AM |
DATE() | Creates a date from Y, M, D | =DATE(2025, 4, 18) | 2025-04-18 |
DAY() | Extracts day from date | =DAY(A1) | 18 |
MONTH() | Extracts month | =MONTH(A1) | 4 |
YEAR() | Extracts year | =YEAR(A1) | 2025 |
These are your foundation formulas for working with dates!
✨ Excel Date Formula Examples
Add Days to a Date
=A1 + 30
➡️ Adds 30 days to the date in A1
Subtract Two Dates (Days Between)
=A2 - A1
➡️ Returns the number of days between two dates
Add Months with EDATE()
=EDATE(A1, 3)
➡️ Adds 3 months to a date
End of Month
=EOMONTH(A1, 0)
➡️ Returns the last day of the month for a given date
Calculate Age
=DATEDIF(A1, TODAY(), "Y")
➡️ Calculates full years between date in A1 and today
🧠 Smart Uses of Excel Date Formulas
| Task | Formula |
|---|---|
| Due date 30 days after invoice | =A1 + 30 |
| Employee tenure in years | =DATEDIF(A1, TODAY(), "Y") |
| Auto-fill next month’s date | =EDATE(TODAY(), 1) |
| Find first day of month | =DATE(YEAR(A1), MONTH(A1), 1) |
| Dynamic age in years/months | =DATEDIF(A1, TODAY(), "Y") & "y " & DATEDIF(A1, TODAY(), "YM") & "m" |
⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts for Working with Dates
| Task | Windows | macOS | Ubuntu (LibreOffice Calc) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insert current date | Ctrl + ; | Cmd + ; | Ctrl + ; |
| Insert current time | Ctrl + Shift + ; | Cmd + Shift + ; | Ctrl + Shift + ; |
| Edit active cell | F2 | Ctrl + U | F2 |
| Copy formula down | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D | Ctrl + D |
| Format cells | Ctrl + 1 | Cmd + 1 | Ctrl + 1 |
💡 Use Ctrl + ; to quickly stamp today’s date—perfect for tracking entries!
📆 Formatting Dates in Excel
To display dates in your desired format:
- Select the cells
- Press
Ctrl + 1(orCmd + 1) - Go to the Number tab > Date
- Choose from short date, long date, or custom format like:
dd-mm-yyyymmmm d, yyyyddd, mm/dd
✅ Formatting doesn’t change the value—just how it appears.
🐧 Excel Date Formulas in Ubuntu/Linux (LibreOffice Calc)
LibreOffice Calc supports all major Excel date formulas:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
TODAY() | Current date |
NOW() | Current date & time |
DATE(Y,M,D) | Combine into a valid date |
DAYS(end, start) | Difference in days |
EDATE(start, months) | Add months |
Shortcuts:
- Insert date:
Ctrl + ; - Insert time:
Ctrl + Shift + ; - Format date:
Ctrl + 1
✅ Syntax and behavior closely match Excel.
⚠️ Common Date Formula Mistakes
- ❌ Forgetting that Excel stores dates as serial numbers
- ❌ Using
DATEDIF()without validating input dates - ❌ Entering dates in text format like
"April 18" - ❌ Misusing regional date formats (
mm/dd/yyyyvsdd/mm/yyyy) - ❌ Confusing time vs date-time values (
NOW()includes time!)
✅ Always use DATE() to construct proper dates and check formatting!
FAQs
How do I add or subtract days from a date in Excel?
Use =A1 + N or =A1 - N where N is the number of days.
How do I calculate the number of days between two dates?
Use =EndDate - StartDate.
What does the DATEDIF function do?
It calculates the difference between two dates in years, months, or days.
Can I create a dynamic date that always shows today?
Yes! Use =TODAY() for just the date or =NOW() for date + time.
Why is my date formula not working?
Make sure dates are in date format, not stored as text. Use DATEVALUE() if needed.
Do Excel date formulas work in LibreOffice?
Yes, all standard date functions are fully supported.
✅ Final Thoughts on Excel Date Formula
Mastering the Excel date formula opens the door to smart, dynamic, and automated spreadsheets. 💪 From tracking projects to generating reports, calculating due dates, or aging invoices—dates power every time-sensitive task in Excel.
With just a few functions and shortcuts, you can easily manage and manipulate date values on Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never look at a calendar the same way again! 📆
Complete List of Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
If you need help for Windows, you can find a whole list of all keyboard shortcuts here.
https://keyboard-shortcuts.org/
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