DATEVALUE Function in Excel

What this does

DATEVALUE turns text that reads like a date into an actual date value, and TIMEVALUE does the same for times. This is the repair for the most frequent import defect after text-stored numbers: dates that look right, sort alphabetically, and are ignored by every date filter and calculation. The catch is locale — "03/04/2026" is March in the US and April in Europe, and DATEVALUE follows your system settings without asking. Where the source format is unambiguous that is fine; where it is not, rebuilding the date with DATE and explicit parts is the safe route. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. Treat “datevalue function in excel” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected formula shows up while it is still harmless. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. That turns a calculation you can defend to a CFO or an auditor into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.

A worked example

Repairing an imported text date: =DATEVALUE(A2), then format the result as a date. Confirming the problem first: =ISNUMBER(A2) returning FALSE on a date-looking cell means it is text. Locale-proof rebuilding for an unambiguous ISO string: =DATE(LEFT(A2,4), MID(A2,6,2), RIGHT(A2,2)). Combining a text date and time: =DATEVALUE(A2) + TIMEVALUE(B2). DATEVALUE fixes date columns that sort alphabetically, which is the defect that makes an imported report silently unusable. Check the referenced cells, argument order and result type in your workbook. Start with the worked example before changing an input, then compare the changed result with the calculation you expected. An error value or a result of a different type is a reason to inspect the inputs and arguments.

In Google Sheets

Google Sheets support for this task has not been verified. Check the function, arguments and workflow in the target product before transferring the example. Matching formula notation does not establish identical behaviour. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. For “datevalue function in excel”, keep the input cells and the result visible while you check the formula in Excel. Follow the worked example and change one input at a time. The steps explain the workbook calculation; this page does not run a live calculator for that task.

Common mistakes

• Trusting it on ambiguous formats such as 03/04/2026, where the locale silently decides the month.
• Passing a value that is already a real date, which returns #VALUE!.
• Forgetting to format the result, which shows a five-digit serial number.

Frequently asked questions