Custom format for cell not working properly

[emmadgncs]

I have set cell C3 to custom format mm.yy;;; but when i enter the date '02.24' it changes the cell to '01.00'. It is working for other cells on this sheet.

From what I have read, this may be excel thinking mm is minute however this should only happen if a h is present before the m. In my case there is no h and yet it will not format my cell to be the custom date format that I need (mm/yy). 

My language is appropriately set to English - UK. 

[#2]

Hi @emmadgncs,

the problem is that the custom format mm.yy;;; is not unambiguous. It could be interpreted as either a date format or a number format, depending on the context. In your case, Excel is interpreting it as a number format.

To fix this, you need to add a [Date] prefix to the custom format. This tells Excel that the format should be interpreted as a date format. The updated custom format would be [Date]mm.yy;;;.

To apply the updated custom format, follow these steps:

1. Select cell C3.
2. On the Home tab, in the Number group, click the Format dropdown menu.
3. Select Custom.
4. In the Type box, enter the following custom format:

[Date]mm.yy;;;​

1. Click OK.

Now, when you enter the date 02.24 into cell C3, it will be formatted correctly as 02.24.

Here are some links you can use:

• Microsoft Support: Create a custom number format: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/create-and-apply-a-custom-number-format-6c308025-35da-404...
• Contextures: Excel dates won't change format: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/formatting-settings-disabled-in-excel-online/...
• Chandoo: Custom date formats in Excel: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/format-a-date-the-way-you-want-8e10019e-d5d8-47a1-ba95-db...

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Kindest regards,

Leon Pavesic
(LinkedIn)

[#3]

Thank you, but it didn't solve the issue.

When I added [Date], excel would not allow me to hit ok and the pop up reads 'Microsoft Excel cannot use the number format you typed. Try using one of the built-in number formats.'