Apply standardized date formats in your sheet

Depending on locale, you might read a numerically formatted date in a different order from colleagues—for example: MM/DD/YY versus DD/MM/YY.

The formatting options discussed here can only be applied to Date type columns by sheet Owners, Admins, or Editors. 

Apply a format to the whole column

In your sheet:

1. Select the date column header at the top to select the entire column.
2. Select the Date Format in the toolbar.
   
   
    
3. Select the desired date format.

That’s it! Applying a format this way ensures that all current and future dates typed in the Date column will have your desired formatting.

Apply to specific cells

You can also select individual or groups of cells to apply date formatting to in a more specific manner. Keep in mind that when you apply formatting in this way, new information added to other cells in your Date column won’t have the same formatting.

How date formats appear

When you apply a different date format to a column, it appears standardized to everyone shared to the sheet. Depending on your Regional Settings, months and days of long form date formats also appear localized in the following languages: 

• English
• Spanish
• German
• Italian
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Japanese

Standardized date formatting does not apply to automated workflows.