How do I stop Excel from defaulting the date?
Microsoft Excel's Auto Fill features help you quickly enter the same value in more than one cell or fill a series of cells with related or sequential values. You can type "Acme Corporation" in one cell and let AutoComplete enter the entire name after you type "A" in an adjacent cell. You can enter a date and drag the fill handle down the column to populate a month's worth of cells for a company status report, or type in two non-sequential product prices – $12 and $24, for example – and fill a row following the pattern you establish. When you don't need these convenience features, disable Auto Fill to avoid triggering them accidentally. Show
In this article, we will learn to stop excel from auto formatting dates in CSV. CSV stands for comma-separated values. Sometimes, we need to open or import a CSV file in our excel worksheet. Excel auto formats the date when we open or import any CSV file. Often, it can be undesirable because it changes the data. So, to stop excel from auto formatting dates in CSV, we need to follow some methods. Today, we will demonstrate these methods in easy steps. Download Practice BookDownload the practice book. What Is a CSV File?The file which separates values by a comma is called a CSV file. It is a delimited text file. Each line of a CSV file consists of a data record where each field is separated by a comma. We can import or export a CSV file that contains data records in our excel worksheet very easily. 3 Ways to Stop Excel from Auto Formatting Dates in CSVTo explain the methods, we will use a CSV file that contains information about the ID Number and Date of Birth of some employees. If we open or import this CSV file in excel, we will see a dataset like below. And after auto-fitting the columns, we will see the result like below. Here, if we look at the Date of Birth column, we can see excel has auto formatted the dates. It does not match with our original dataset in the CSV file. For example, if we look at Cell C2, it contains 10-Jul-93. But our CSV file contains 10-July-1993. We want to display the CSV file without auto formatting the dates. The methods below will discuss how to stop excel from auto formatting dates in CSV. 1. Save the CSV File as Text Document to Stop Excel from Auto Formatting DatesWe can stop excel from auto formatting dates by saving the CSV file as a Text Document file. It is one of the quickest processes. Let’s follow the steps below to learn this method. STEPS:
Read More: Fix Excel Date Not Formatting Correctly (8 Quick Solutions) 2. Stop Excel from Auto Formatting Dates by Importing the CSV FileThere is another quick way to stop excel from auto formatting dates in CSV files. In this method, we will use the Data tab to import the file. Here, we will use the same CSV file. Let’s pay attention to the steps below to learn more. STEPS:
Read More: How to Use Formula to Change Date Format in Excel (5 Methods) Similar Readings:
3. Format the CSV File to Stop Excel from Auto Formatting DatesIn this method, we will format the CSV file to stop excel from auto formatting dates. We will mainly change the data format inside the CSV file. Again, we will use the same CSV file here. Let’s observe the steps below to learn more. STEPS:
Instead of:
Here, we have added “=” as prefix and “” as a suffix in the Date of Birth column.
Related Content: How to Change Default Date Format from US to UK in Excel (3 Ways) Things to RememberThere are certain things you need to remember to stop excel from auto formatting dates.
ConclusionWe have discussed 3 quick and easy methods to stop excel from auto formatting dates in CSV files. I hope these methods will help you to solve your problems related to auto formatting dates in CSV. Furthermore, we have also added the practice book at the beginning of the article. You can download the practice book to exercise. Last of all, if you have any queries or suggestions, feel free to ask in the comment section below. Related Articles
How do I change the default date format in Excel permanently?You can change the date system by doing the following: Click File > Options > Advanced. Under the When calculating this workbook section, select the workbook that you want, and then select or clear the Use 1904 date system check box.
How do I stop excel from auto formatting time?Click File > Options. In the Excel Options box, click Proofing > AutoCorrect Options. On the AutoFormat As You Type tab, check the boxes for the auto formatting you want to use.
How do I turn off automatic date in sheets?In Google Sheets, the only way to stop formatting numbers as dates is to use an apostrophe in front of the value.
How do I lock the date format in Excel?Preventing Automatic Date Formatting Changes. Display the Excel Options dialog box. ... . At the left side of the dialog box click Advanced.. Scroll to the very bottom of the advanced options. ... . Make sure the Transition Formula Entry option is selected.. Click OK.. |