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Copper Contributor

Sep 23, 2020

Microsoft excel date format-not changing at all

I download an excel file(.xls) format from a particular portal that has been designed by the IT developers in my company. the downloaded excel sheet displays a date format which cannot be changed at ...

Copper Contributor

Oct 13, 2020

Thank You so much for your help. In case I have some other issues regarding this or other issues in excel, I will get back to you.SergeiBaklan

Diamond Contributor

Oct 14, 2020

Sure, you are welcome. And I'm not alone here.

SergeiBaklan
Diamond Contributor
Oct 16, 2020
lotusana003

You shall apply format of your source data, how texts present the dates. For example, here

if apply MDY result will be

first text won't be converted since Excel doesn't recognize it as valid MDY date.

For this sample DMY returns correct result

In general, if text is not recognizable as valid date in format you applied it won't be converted.
lotusana003
Copper Contributor
Oct 16, 2020
Yes Surely.. but I have a query. In case, for a particular column of an excel sheet, the dates that are present are texts. I use "Text to columns">use MDY(suppose). It so happens that, few dates (that are texts) get converted into MDY format, the remaining dates remain as it is(continue to be texts).
Also, in case I try out YMD format on that same column (in the hope of getting all the texts into YMD format since MDY format did not work for all the dates), but get no positive outcomes Then what do I do?
I have faced situations when MDY or YMD format (text to columns) work for only few dates(text format) in a particular column, the rest of the dates remain as texts.

SergeiBaklan

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