Just like any other spreadsheet application, you can insert a date in Google Sheets by typing it in the cell. But there are a few unique things that you have in Google Sheets. In this tutorial, we are going to understand it in detail.
Enter a Date by Typing
You can enter a date by typing from your keyboard, but you can also use one of the valid formats. For example, you can use the format mm/dd/yyyy or dd-mmm-yyyy.
Note: Unlike Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets can take dates before 01-Jan-1990.
Using Date Picker to Insert Date
In Google Sheets, when you enter a date in a cell, it automatically assigns a date picker to that cell. And when the next time you edit that cell, it shows you a date picker to enter a date or change the date you already have in it.
You can also apply a date picker to a cell, even before you enter a date in it. For this, you need to use the data validation.
Go to Data > Data Validation.
And then, in the data validation, click on the Add Rule.
Next, select “Is valid date” from the criteria and click “Done”.
Now whenever you click the cell, it will show you a date picker to add the date.
Add Current Date with the TODAY Function
You can also use the TODAY function to insert the current date in a cell.
You need to enter the function specifying any argument and hit enter to get the current date as per the date you have in your system.
TODAY is a volatile function that changes values when you update anything in your sheet. And it always returns the current date and changes it when it changes in your system.
If today is the 24th, May it will return 24, but when the date changes next date, it will return the 25th in the result. It’s good to use if you want to insert a dynamic date.
Copy and Paste the Date
You can also copy and paste a date from somewhere else into your sheet. Copy it (ctrl + c) from the source and then paste it in the cell or a range of cells (Ctrl + V).