Excel: Pick Date from Calendar

Ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to pick a date in Excel but didn't want to manually type it in? Excel offers a convenient way to do this using the built-in calendar feature. Let's delve into how you can use this tool to streamline your date picking process.

Before we dive into the steps, ensure that your Excel version supports this feature. The calendar tool is available in Excel 2013 and later versions, including Excel Online. Now, let's explore how to pick a date from the calendar in Excel.

Accessing the Calendar in Excel

To access the calendar, you'll first need to start typing or editing a date cell. Here's how:

1. Select the cell where you want to insert the date. 2. Start typing a date. You can type the month, day, and year in various formats (e.g., 12/31/2022, 31-Dec-22, or Dec 31, 2022). 3. Once you've typed the date, you'll see a small calendar icon appear in the bottom-right corner of the cell. Clicking this icon will open the calendar.

Navigating the Calendar

Once the calendar is open, you can navigate through the months and years using the arrows at the top of the calendar. Here's how:

1. Click the left or right arrow to move between months. 2. Click the year at the top of the calendar to change the year. 3. You can also use the scroll wheel on your mouse to quickly scroll through the months.

Picking a Date

To pick a date, simply click on the desired date in the calendar. The date will automatically be inserted into the cell. Here's a quick tip:

If you want to pick a date that's not in the current view, you can type the month and year in the 'Go to date' field at the top of the calendar (e.g., type 'Dec 2022' and press Enter). The calendar will then display that month and year.

Formatting the Date

After picking a date, you might want to format it to match your preferred style. Here's how to do that:

1. Select the cell containing the date. 2. Right-click and select 'Format Cells' from the context menu. 3. In the 'Number' tab, choose the date format you prefer (e.g., Short Date, Long Date, or Custom). 4. Click 'OK' to apply the formatting.

Using the Calendar with Date Functions

You can also use the calendar to pick dates when working with date functions like TODAY, NOW, or DATEVALUE. Here's how:

1. Start typing the date function in the cell (e.g., =TODAY()). 2. Press Enter to display the function's result. 3. Click the calendar icon that appears in the cell to open the calendar. 4. Pick the desired date, and the function will update with the selected date.

Incorporating the calendar tool into your Excel workflow can save you time and reduce errors when working with dates. Happy date picking!