Hello,
I have an excel worksheet with a date column, the format is set to dd-mmm-yyyy but the dates in the columns display as mm/dd/yyyy. If I double click in each individual cell and then move out of that cell the format changes and the dates appear correct. I have 24854 dates I need to change, I can't take time to double click in each cell. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi Jack,
I can help you with this. Select the column/row that you need to reformat.
Go to the Data Tab
From the Data tab, Select Text to Columns
This will open a Wizard called "Covert Text to Columns"
You'll see 2 choices for your original data type: Delimited or Fixed Width
If your current date format has commas, tabs, dashes, etc., then click Delimited.
If your current date format has only spaces separating everything but no characters, then click Fixed.
Click NEXT once you selected your origiinal data type
The next screen, you can skip by clicking NEXT again
Now you'll see a screen that lets you slect the data format that you want
Select the DATE button
Then, from the drop down, select the new date format you want to use.
Click Finish
This should do the trick. I hope this helps!!
ok suppose tje relevant date is 1 sept 2009
you enter (in my excel you have to enter as m/d/yy)
9/1/09
now go to format-number-custom
and type at the top window
dd-mm-yyyy
and sees what happens
Nothing happens....that is the problem. However, if I double click inside one of the date cells, after I have changed the format to the custom format, the date format changes to the correct format. But I can't go through the worksheet and double click in each cell...that would take a week!
the reason for this is as mentioned above - depending on the users settings - i.e. id it's US for example, whateer the user types in the cell will default to the mm/dd/yy (that's according to the default US format)
By clicking into the cell then clicking out, the cell recognises your settings - hence whay it reverts to the UK format
Why would double clicking the cell make the format change take place, I am still having this problem. In Excel 2003 you could do some tricks with coping and paste special values, but that does not work in Excel 2007.
