How to stop excel from changing date format

Answer

Excel changes date formats because Excel converts entries that resemble dates into its internal date serial number system. To stop Excel from changing the date format, use formatting controls or text-preserving methods before entering the data.

1. Format cells as Text before typing

1. Select the cells that will store the date.

2. Open the Home tab.

3. Choose Number Format.

4. Select Text.

5. Type the date exactly as needed.

Excel preserves the characters because Text formatting stores values as text strings.

2. Add an apostrophe before the date

1. Click the cell.

2. Type ' followed by the date, for example '12-03-2025.

3. Confirm with Enter.

Excel displays the date without converting it because the apostrophe forces text entry.

3. Use a custom date format

1. Select the cells.

2. Open Format Cells.

   • Windows: Press Ctrl + 1.

   • MacBook: Press Command + 1.

3. Choose Number.

4. Choose Custom.

5. Enter a custom pattern such as dd-mm-yyyy, mm.dd.yyyy, or yyyy/mm/dd.

6. Apply the format.

Excel displays the date based on the applied pattern because the number format defines how the value appears.

4. Import data without automatic conversion

1. Open a new blank workbook.

2. Go to Data.

3. Choose From Text/CSV.

4. Pick the file.

5. Set the column type to Text in the preview window.

6. Load the data.

Excel keeps the original formatting because the import settings block automatic conversions.

5. Use Notepad as an intermediate step

1. Paste the data into Notepad.

2. Copy it from Notepad.

3. Paste it back into Excel.

Excel reads the pasted content as plain text because Notepad strips all formatting.

6. Use Power Query to stop automatic date conversion

1. Go to Data.

2. Select Get Data.

3. Import the file.

4. Change the column type to Text in Power Query.

5. Load the data.

Power Query keeps the type definition static because the transformation settings override date recognition.

How to fix dates already converted by Excel

Convert dates back to text format

1. Select the affected cells.

2. Press Ctrl + 1 (Windows) or Command + 1 (MacBook).

3. Change the format to Text.

4. Re-enter the dates manually or use a transformation rule in Power Query for large data sets.

Split the date using Text to Columns

1. Select the converted column.

2. Go to Data.

3. Choose Text to Columns.

4. Select Delimited.

5. Choose Next.

6. Choose Next again.

7. Choose Text under Column Data Format.

8. Finish the process.

Excel converts the column to text because the wizard forces a text type.

How to prevent automatic formatting when copying and pasting

1. Copy the source data.

2. Right-click the target cell.

3. Choose Paste Special.

4. Select Text.

Excel keeps pasted content in text format because Paste Special removes formatting rules.

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