---
title: "Use the DATEVALUE Function to Convert Text to a Specified Date Format"
slug: "datevalue-function"
description: "Learn to use DATEVALUE to convert text into a specified date format, with examples and supported format types."
updated: 2025-11-11T14:27:23Z
published: 2025-11-11T14:27:23Z
canonical: "kb.pigment.com/datevalue-function"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.pigment.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# DATEVALUE function

## Description

Converts a given Text to a Date using a specified format.

## Syntax

`DATEVALUE(Date Text, Date Format)`

## Arguments

| Argument | Type | Dimensions | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *Date Text* (required) | Text | Any Dimensions | Text representing a date. |
| *Date Format* (required) | Text | No Dimension | Specific format to transform the Text into a Date. |

## Returns

| Type | Dimensions |
| --- | --- |
| Date | Dimensions of argument *Date Text* |

## Examples

| Case | Result |
| --- | --- |
| `DATEVALUE("2021-12-24", "yyyy-MM-dd")` | `2021-12-24` |
| `DATEVALUE("2021-2-24", "yyyy-M-dd")` | `2021-02-24` |
| `DATEVALUE("2021/12/24", "yyyy/MM/dd")` | `2021-12-24` |
| `DATEVALUE("2021 Dec 24", "yyyy MMM dd")` | `2021-12-24` |
| `DATEVALUE("2021 December 24", "yyyy MMMM dd")` | `2021-12-24` |
| `DATEVALUE("21 12 24", "yy MM dd")` | `2021-12-24` |
| `DATEVALUE("21-02", "yy-MM")` | `2021-02-01` |
| `DATEVALUE("21-2", "yy-M")` | `2021-02-01` |

**Note:** Formats using abbreviated name of the month or full name of the month only support English.

## Date format

`Date Format` should be a constant string with at least one placeholder for Year, Month or Day, other characters must be surrounded by quotes.

### Year

| Format specifier | Description |
| --- | --- |
| "y" | The year, from 0 to 99. |
| "yy" | The year, from 00 to 99. |
| "yyy" | The year, with a minimum of three digits. |
| "yyyy" | The year as a four-digit number. |
| "yyyyy" | The year as a five-digit number. |

### Month

| Format specifier | Description |
| --- | --- |
| "M" | The month, from 1 through 12. |
| "MM" | The month, from 01 through 12. |
| "MMM" | The abbreviated name of the month: "Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec" |
| "MMMM" | The full name of the month: "January", "February", "March", "April", "May", "June", "July", "August", "September", "October", "November", "December" |

**Note**: without any format specifier for the Month, the fallback is January.

### Day

| Format specifier | Description |
| --- | --- |
| "d" | The day of the month, from 1 through 31. |
| "dd" | The day of the month, from 01 through 31. |

**Note**: without any format specifier for the Day, the fallback is the first day of the month.

### Other

| Format specifier | Description |
| --- | --- |
| 'string' | Literal string delimiter. |

---

Excel equivalent: [DATEVALUE](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/datevalue-function-df8b07d4-7761-4a93-bc33-b7471bbff252)

See also: [DATE](/v1/docs/date-function)