Entering dates in Excel

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It is possible in Excel to enter a date in a cell using a different format and have it automatically formatted into the desired format. To achieve this, you can use Excel's custom number formatting feature.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Select the cell where you want to enter the date.
2. Right-click on the selected cell and choose "Format Cells" from the context menu. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box.
3. In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the "Number" tab.
4. Select "Custom" from the Category list.
5. In the "Type" field, enter the following format code: m/dd/yy This format code specifies that the date should be displayed as "month/day/year".
6. Click on the "OK" button.

Now, when you enter the date as 70220 in the cell and press Enter or move to another cell, Excel will automatically format it as 7/02/20 according to the custom format you specified.

Remember that Excel treats dates as serial numbers, with January 1, 1900, being represented by the number 1. So, when you enter 70220, Excel interprets it as the 70,220th day since January 1, 1900, and then formats it according to the custom format you applied.

Note: The above instructions assume that you are using the U.S. date format (month/day/year). If you are using a different date format, adjust the format code accordingly. For example, if you prefer the format as day/month/year, you can use the format code d/mm/yy.