How to remove date format in excel

Answer

Removing a date format means Excel stops interpreting the cell value as a date and displays the underlying value or text exactly as typed. To remove date formatting in Excel, use one of the built-in formatting choices that return the value to a general or text display.

Change the Format to General

1. Select the cells with the date formatting.

2. Open the Home tab.

3. Click the Number Format dropdown in the Number group.

4. Choose General.

Excel displays the underlying serial number. A date uses a numeric code, and a general format exposes that code.

Convert Dates to Plain Text

1. Select the cells that contain the dates.

2. Press Ctrl + C.

3. Right-click the destination cell.

4. Choose Paste Special.

5. Select Values.

6. Open the Home tab.

7. Choose Text in the Number Format dropdown.

Excel stops recognizing the entry as a date and stores it as a text string.

Use an Apostrophe Before Typing

1. Select the cell.

2. Type an apostrophe before the value (for example, '12-04).

3. Press Enter.

Excel displays the value as text without converting it to a date.

Clear All Formatting

Windows and MacBook use the same steps.

1. Select the cell range.

2. Open the Home tab.

3. Click Clear in the Editing group.

4. Choose Clear Formats.

Excel removes every applied format and returns the values to the default display rules.

Use Text to Columns to Remove Date Formatting

1. Select the cells with date formatting.

2. Open the Data tab.

3. Click Text to Columns.

4. Choose Delimited.

5. Click Next two times.

6. Change the column data format to Text.

7. Click Finish.

Excel forces the values to text format and strips date interpretation.

Why does Excel apply date formatting automatically?

Excel applies date formatting because the application interprets patterns with slashes or dashes as date structures. A value such as 12-04 fits these structures, and Excel assigns a date format.

How to prevent Excel from applying a date format

1. Format the cells as Text before typing.

2. Use an apostrophe at the start of the input.

3. Import external data through Power Query and define the column as Text.

These methods stop Excel from converting values into dates.

Yes · 0 No · 0 Add Comment · 0

Add ·

Report