15 Date Shortcuts In Excel That Will Save You Time

Are you a spreadsheet enthusiast looking to save time and effort? Try these 15 shortcuts in Excel that can help you work faster and smarter! You can quickly become an Excel whiz with these easy-to-remember tips.

Excel Date Shortcuts\n

Working with Excel? Time-consuming tasks with managing dates? But did you know? There are date shortcuts! Here’s some of my faves!

• Learn to customize date formatting – to suit your preferences.
• Utilize shorthand when entering dates.
• Use long date formatting for Excel presentations.

Excel date shortcuts can help streamline your work! More time for the things you love!

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by David Jones

Customize date formatting for Excel projects\n

Customizing date formats for Excel projects is a must-have skill for any user. This can make your data look more professional and organized. Here are three tips to help you customize dates in Excel:

1. Choose a date format. Excel offers several options, like short date, long date, time-only, and custom formats. Pick the right one for the data type and audience.
2. Customize the date format. Change its appearance, such as font size, color, style, or number format.
3. Use conditional formatting. This highlights certain cells based on rules or values. Highlight upcoming deadlines or past due dates.

Having this skill is helpful in making your work more effective and efficient. Mistakes due to different date formats can be avoided by using a standardized method of presenting data. It’s essential for collaboration. Formatting dates accurately can help prevent confusion when other people are reading your work.

Don’t miss out on this task! Let’s see how to use shorthand for quicker entries with dates in Excel. Utilize shorthand date formatting for Excel entries for faster data entry.

Utilize shorthand date formatting for Excel entries\n

Save time and effort with these efficient techniques for shorthand date formatting in Excel.

• Shortcut 1: Ctrl + ; adds the current date to a cell.
• Shortcut 2: Ctrl + Shift +; adds the current time.
• Shortcut 3: Typing a word/letter followed by “/” or “-” then Enter converts it to date/time.
• Shortcut 4: Today function updates the cell with current date when opening the worksheet.

These shortcuts make entering dates quick and easy. An apostrophe at the beginning of an entry formats the date as text, preventing Excel from reformatting your entry. Utilize date formatting to save time and reduce errors in Excel.

Use long date formatting for Excel presentations:

This will explore how to present dates in a professional manner.

Use long date formatting for Excel presentations\n

Long date formatting can make your Excel presentations look professional and easy to understand. It’s simple – just select the cells with dates, right-click and select “Format Cells.” Under the “Number” tab, click “Custom,” and in the textbox under “Type,” enter either “dddd dd mmmm yyyy” or “ddddd.”

Note that this takes up more space than other formats. So, you may need to adjust column widths or font size. Also, be consistent with the date formatting in your workbook for clarity.

At a company meeting, long date formatting made a difference. Before, short date format was used in charts and tables. This made it hard to spot trends. But, with long-date formatting, executives were able to identify patterns quickly and make better decisions on sales strategies.

And make sure to use Excel’s shortcuts to quickly calculate time differences and other useful calculations without having to use additional tools or manually calculate.

Date Calculations in Excel\n

Frustration arises when trying to do date calculations in Excel without a plan. Luckily, Excel holds shortcuts to make the process much simpler. We will focus on date calculations in Excel. Specifically, how to calculate days, months and years between two dates. These shortcuts make working with dates more efficient and productive. Let’s explore!

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by Adam Woodhock

Calculate the number of days between two dates using Excel\n

Using Excel to compute days between two dates is useful and time-saving. Here’s how:

1. Write the start date in one cell and the end date in another.
2. In a third cell, type “=end-start“, replacing “end” with the end date and “start” with the start date.
3. Press “Enter” and Excel will show the days between them.

This can be a big help for project management or scheduling tasks with deadlines. No need to manually count days on a calendar.

You can also modify this formula to calculate weeks or months. Divide the number of days by seven to get weeks. Divide by 30 (or 31 for months with different numbers of days) to get months.

Make use of Excel’s shortcuts! With a few clicks, you can quickly figure out any duration between two dates.

Now, let’s learn how to calculate months between two dates with Excel.

Calculate the number of months between two dates with Excel\n

Calculate months between two dates in Excel by following three easy steps. Select an empty cell for the result. Enter the formula: =DATEDIF(start_date,end_date,”m”), with actual cell references or date values for start_date and end_date. Press Enter to get the answer!

Knowing the number of months between two dates can be helpful. For example, for a financial quarter or to monitor how long it takes to complete a project. This formula helps you get an accurate count quickly, without counting days manually.

Pro Tip: Round your result up or down to the nearest month by adding or subtracting one day from the start or end date before running the formula. For example, if the start date is January 15th and the end date is March 15th, use January 14th as the start date to count it as two full months.

Now that you know how to calculate months, let’s move on to calculating years!

Calculate the number of years between two dates in Excel\n

Calculating years between two dates in Excel is easy with the DATEDIF function. Here are the steps:

1. Enter the start date in one cell and the end date in another.
2. In a third cell, type =DATEDIF(start_date,end_date,”Y”).
3. Press enter to display the result.
4. Remember to use quotes around “Y”.
5. The result won’t include partial years, it will round down.
6. To calculate partial years, change “Y” to “D” or “M”.

You can use Excel to calculate the difference between two dates quickly and easily. It’s important to understand the DATEDIF function to accomplish this. Plus, Excel has over 450 built-in functions that enable you to automate various tasks. Now you know how to add dates in Excel too!

Adding Dates in Excel\n

I often use Excel for work. I’m always searching for ways to make my processes simpler and be more productive. Working with dates in Excel can take a long time if you don’t know the shortcuts. I’ll cover three areas with time-saving techniques for dates:

1. Adding or subtracting days from a date in Excel.
2. Increasing or decreasing months in Excel’s date function.
3. Adding or subtracting years in Excel date formulas.

Follow these tips and you’ll become an Excel date master in no time!

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by James Duncun

Add or subtract days to a date in Excel\n

Adding or subtracting days in Excel is a helpful feature. It helps you work out when an event occurred and for how long. There are various ways of doing this.

You can use built-in functions like “SUM”, “DATE”, “MONTH” and “DAY”. That way, it’s easy to add or subtract days from a date. Just type in the date and add or subtract the required days.

Another option is using a formula with basic arithmetic operations on any given date. When you add or subtract the right number of days, Excel will automatically update and show the new date value.

Plus, Excel provides shortcuts to alter dates quickly. Like typing “+1” after the cell reference to add one day, “-1” to subtract, and double-clicking the lower-right corner of a cell to copy down formulas.

These methods save time and improve productivity by avoiding manual calculations.

Fun fact: Albert Einstein was born March 14th, 1879. To celebrate in Excel sheets since 2004, Google marks it as Pi Day (due to his scientific contribution). People have found hacks in pi digits in Excel formulas.

Enhancing or diminishing dates in Excel can also be done with its date function. It makes sure precision is maintained when forecasting results ahead of time.

Increase or decrease months in Excel’s date function\n

Increase and decrease months in Excel? It’s easy! Here are some tips to help you out:

• Use the EOMONTH function to get the last day of a given month, then use it as reference for further calculations.
• Employ the DATE function to add or subtract specific numbers of months from a date.
• Use the DAY and DATE functions together for precise increments.
• Custom formatting makes data easier to read, especially for large sets.

Want more help? Plenty of online resources and tutorials exist to help you with date calculations in Excel. Get the most out of your data!

Need to modify years? Excel has your back. You can easily manipulate years on a date, similar to increasing or decreasing months. Let’s dig in!

Adding or subtracting years in Excel date formulas\n

Adding or subtracting years in Excel can be tricky if you’re not familiar with the shortcuts and functions. Here are six tips to make it easier:

• Use the YEAR function to extract the year from a date and add/subtract the required number of years.
• Set up a table with all the dates listed, then use the Fill Handle feature to extend it over multiple cells.
• Add/subtract days from a date using the DATE function along with mathematical operators like +, -, / or *.
• Use the EDATE function to add/subtract months depending on a given interval, e.g. quarterly or bi-annually.
• The DATEDIF function is useful for calculating the age differences between two dates based on specified units like years, months, or days.
• Macros and VBA code can also be used to automate repetitive tasks with adding/subtracting years in Excel date formulas.

Excel has various features and functions that make adding/subtracting years easier. By understanding these techniques, you can save time when dealing with large data sets of dates and times.

Different scenarios need different approaches when adding/subtracting years in date formulas. So, it’s important to know what you want before you start. For example, if precision is important, use an accurate formula instead of relying on automated functions.

Did you know? Microsoft Office states there are over 40 date and time-related functions in Excel.

Let’s move on to ‘Subtracting Dates in Excel’. We will find out how to do this quickly and effectively using Excel shortcuts and formulas.

Subtracting Dates in Excel\n

Working with dates in Excel can be tough. But fear not! Excel has shortcuts. In this article, we’ll focus on subtracting dates. We’ll show you how to subtract days, months, and years quickly and easily. By the end, you’ll know key tips that’ll save you time and effort.

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by Yuval Jones

Subtracting days from a date in Excel\n

Subtracting days from a date in Excel is a common task. You can do it using the in-built functions and formulas. Here’s the five-step process:

1. Open Microsoft Excel and make a new workbook.
2. Enter the date you want to subtract days from, in the first cell.
3. In the next cell, type in the number of days you want to subtract.
4. Use the formula “=A1-B1”. Where “A1” is the cell containing your date and “B1” is the cell containing the number of days you want to subtract.
5. Press Enter. Excel will give you the new date after subtracting days.

This is an important skill for anyone who works with dates. It can save you time and help you be accurate.

You can use shortcuts or alternative formulas for greater efficiency. Like “=EDATE(A1,-B1)” instead of manually typing “=A1-B1”. This way you can add or subtract months from a date.

In conclusion, you can subtract days from a date in Excel quickly and accurately with these five steps. Or use shortcuts and alternative formulas. This will save you time and help you be accurate with dates. Next up, let’s explore Subtracting months from Excel date calculations.

Subtracting months from Excel date calculations\n

You can easily subtract months from an Excel date with just a few simple steps! Select the cell where you want the result of the calculation to appear. Type in the formula “=EDATE(start_date, -number_of_months)” into the formula bar. Then press enter.

EDATE is a handy function for subtracting months from a given date. It uses two arguments: start date and the number of months you want to subtract. Use a negative number before “number_of_months” if you want Excel to take away those months.

It’s useful for upcoming or recurring events. For example, if you have an event that happens every month, subtracting one month from today’s date will tell you when the next occurrence of that event will take place.

It’s also beneficial because it keeps dates formatted correctly within Excel. If you try to manually calculate dates, the results may be difficult to read.

Excel has many other shortcuts beyond just subtracting months. TODAY() returns today’s date while NOW() returns today’s date and current time.

Our next section will teach you how to subtract years from an Excel date – stay tuned for more tips and tricks!

Subtracting years from an Excel date\n

Subtracting years from an Excel date? No problem! Here are 4 steps to make it a snap:

1. Figure out the date and year you want to subtract from.
2. Use a formula including DATE & YEAR functions to subtract the desired number of years.
3. Input the formula as text into a new cell.
4. Turn the text back into a date format with the Text To Columns tool.

Be sure to double-check your work, since some functions need special syntax. If you find you’re doing this a lot, create custom formulas or macros to save time & minimize errors. Plus, there are built-in Excel date functions to help with adding/subtracting time intervals, identifying days of the week/month, & generating date sequences automatically.

Excel Date Functions\n

Frequent Excel users like me always search for ways to save time. In this segment, we look at Excel’s date functions – a feature that simplifies creating, manipulating and displaying dates.

We’ll explore 3 functions that can help: TODAY(), NOW(), and date formulas. TODAY() quickly provides the current date. We’ll also check out NOW() to display date and time. Plus, we’ll look at how to combine year, month and day to make a full date value.

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by Joel Washington

How to use Excel’s TODAY() function to get the current date\n

Want to know the current date? Excel’s TODAY() function can help you out! Here are the 5 steps:

1. Open Excel and create a new spreadsheet.
2. Decide where you want to put the date and select that cell.
3. Type in =TODAY().
4. Press Enter on your keyboard.
5. The cell will now show today’s date.

Keep in mind that the TODAY() function updates itself when you open the spreadsheet. This means the date will change if you save the file and come back later.

You can also use TODAY() with other functions or formulas. For instance, you can subtract today’s date from an upcoming event’s date to find out how many days left.

Microsoft support states that NOW() sets both date and time to the computer running Excel. So, if your computer is set to PST, NOW() will reflect that timezone.

Excel’s TODAY() is great for calculating expiration dates. Subtract today’s date from the expiration date and format it as a number. This makes it easier to track expiry.

That’s it for the TODAY() function! Now, learn about NOW() for the current date & time in Excel.

How to utilize the NOW() function for the current date & time in Excel\n

Tired of typing in today’s date and time manually in your Excel sheets? NOW() is the answer! Here’s how:

1. Pick which cell you want the current date and time in.
2. Type in ‘=’ to initiate a formula.
3. Type NOW(), a function that returns the current date and time.
4. Press Enter, and you’ll see the current date/time display.

Using NOW() is great – it’s accurate and saves you seconds! Plus, it updates itself automatically. If you leave your computer on for a long time, when you come back, NOW() will still show the current date/time.

You can even customize the formatting of NOW() too. Select the cell containing NOW(), right-click, select “Format Cells,” then choose from various options under “Number” or “Custom.”

Don’t miss the chance to make your life easier – try NOW() to simplify your workflow and make sure your spreadsheets are precise!

Create a date from separate Excel year, month and day values\n

1. Pick the cell where you’d like the date displayed.
2. In the formula bar, type =DATE(year, month, day). Substitute “year”, “month”, and “day” with the real numeric values.
3. Press Enter to view the date in the chosen cell.
4. If you want to alter the format of the date, right-click on the cell and select “Format Cells…”
5. In the Format Cells dialog box, pick “Date” from the Category list.
6. Choose your preferred format from the Type list.

Creating a date from distinct year, month, and day values can be useful when dealing with data that’s not already set up as a date in Excel. For instance, if your spreadsheet contains birthdays as individual columns for year, month, and day.

Note: This function only works with numeric values for year, month, and day. If any of these values aren’t numeric or hold errors such as #VALUE!, #REF!, or #NAME?, the function will return an error.

Pro Tip: Make a formula or macro if you often need to create dates this way. Automating it will save time when working with large sets of data.

FAQs about 15 Date Shortcuts In Excel That Will Save You Time

What are the 15 Date Shortcuts in Excel That Will Save You Time?

The 15 date shortcuts in Excel that will save you time are:

• To insert the current date: Ctrl + ;
• To insert the current time: Ctrl + Shift + ;
• To insert both the current date and time: Ctrl + ; then space, followed by Ctrl + Shift + ;
• To enter the current time in military format: Ctrl + Shift + :
• To enter a date serial number: Ctrl + ; followed by Ctrl + 1
• To format a date as a weekday: Ctrl + Shift + 3
• To format a date as a month and year: Ctrl + Shift + 2
• To format a date as a day, month, and year: Ctrl + Shift + 1
• To add a year to a date: Ctrl + Shift + =
• To subtract a year from a date: Ctrl + –
• To add a month to a date: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + =
• To subtract a month from a date: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + –
• To add a day to a date: Enter the date in the cell, then add the number of days (e.g. “+7” for one week) to that cell
• To subtract a day from a date: Enter the date in the cell, then subtract the number of days (e.g. “-7” for one week) from that cell
• To convert a text string to a date: Use the DATEVALUE function (e.g. =DATEVALUE(“1/1/2021”))

How do I enter the current date in Excel?

To enter the current date in Excel, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + ; (semi-colon). This will insert the current date into the active cell.

How do I enter the current time in Excel?

To enter the current time in Excel, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + ; (semi-colon). This will insert the current time into the active cell.

How do I add a year to a date in Excel?

To add a year to a date in Excel, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + = (equals sign). In the cell containing the date, type “+1” after the date and press enter. This will add one year to the date.

How do I subtract a month from a date in Excel?

To subtract a month from a date in Excel, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Alt + – (minus sign). In the cell containing the date, type “-1” after the date and press enter. This will subtract one month from the date.

How do I convert a text string to a date in Excel?

To convert a text string to a date in Excel, you can use the DATEVALUE function. Enter the text string in a cell and use the formula =DATEVALUE(cell reference). This will convert the text string to a date value.