How do I use the TO_DATE function in Google Sheets?

Converts a provided number to a date.

Sample Usage

TO_DATE(25405)

TO_DATE(A2)

TO_DATE(40826.4375)

Syntax

TO_DATE(value)

• value – The argument or reference to a cell to be converted to a date.

  • If value is a number or a reference to a cell containing a numeric value, TO_DATE returns value converted to a date, interpreting value as number of days since December 30, 1899.

    1. Negative values are interpreted as days before this date, and fractional values indicate time of day past midnight.

  • If value is not a number or a reference to a cell containing a numeric value, TO_DATE returns value without modification.

Notes

• TO_DATE does not autoconvert number formats in the same way as direct entry into cells. Therefore, TO_DATE(10/10/2000) is interpreted as TO_DATE(0.0005), the quotient of 10 divided by 10 divided by 2000.

• TO_DATE is not as commonly used as DATE, which takes a year, month, and day in numeric format as inputs.

• TO_DATE is the inverse of N as applied to a date, and equivalent to applying Format  Number Date time from the menu bar.

See Also

DATE: Converts a year, month, and day into a date.

TO_TEXT: Converts a provided numeric value to a text value.

TO_PURE_NUMBER: Converts a provided date/time, percentage, currency or other formatted numeric value to a pure number without formatting.

TO_PERCENT: Converts a provided number to a percentage.

TO_DOLLARS: Converts a provided number to a dollar value.

N: Returns the argument provided as a number.

Examples

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