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Excel

DATE function in Excel

Returns the serial number of a particular date

=DATE(year, month, day)

DATE syntax and parameters

Three arguments, three required.

  • yearnumberRequired
  • monthnumberRequired
  • daynumberRequired

DATE examples

Formulas you'll actually reuse.

  1. A real date from year, month and day columns — sortable, unlike text:

    =DATE(B2, C2, D2)

    Result2026-08-14

  2. Months overflow into the next year — month 13 becomes January 2027:

    =DATE(2026, 13, 1)

    Result2027-01-01

DATE in Google Sheets

Same name — your formula ports as-is.

Try DATE in the playground

Edit the example — nothing to install.

Preloaded with the DATE formula from Example 1 — change anything and watch it respond.

Loading the editor…

DATE errors

What they mean — and the fixes.

  • #VALUE!

    A part isn't numeric — a text month like "Aug" needs MONTH(DATEVALUE(...)) or a lookup first.

Related functions

More ways Excel gets this done.