Format as Date Shortcut in Google Sheets

You have a column of dates that came in looking like serial numbers, or numbers that should read as a date. The menu route works, but there’s a faster way.

A single keystroke flips the selected cells to your locale’s default date format. No clicks, no submenus.

Format as Date Keyboard Shortcut in Google Sheets

Format as Date Keyboard Shortcut (Windows Windows)

Ctrl + Shift + 3

Format as Date Keyboard Shortcut (Mac Mac)

⌘ + Shift + 3

What this shortcut does

The shortcut applies the default date format to every cell in your selection. The format pattern comes from your file’s locale.

A US locale shows dates as 8/15/2026. A UK locale shows the same day as 15/08/2026. An India locale shows 15/08/2026 as well.

Under the hood, dates in Sheets are stored as serial numbers. Day 1 is December 30, 1899. Today’s date is just a number counting forward from there. The format layer is what turns 45886 into 8/15/2026.

How to use it (step by step)

  1. Select the cell or range you want to read as dates.
  2. Press the shortcut for your platform.
  3. The cells now show in your locale’s default date format.
  4. To revert to a plain number, press Ctrl + Shift + 1 on Windows or ⌘ + Shift + 1 on Mac.

Quick example. Type 45886 into A1.

Press the shortcut and A1 now reads 8/15/2026 (on a US-locale file).

Type =TODAY() into A2 and apply the shortcut there too. It shows today’s date in the same pattern as A1.

Alternative method (Format menu)

When you want a date pattern that isn’t the locale default, like Aug 15, 2026 or 2026-08-15, the menu gives you control:

  • Format → Number → Date for the locale default with the time stripped off.
  • Format → Number → Date time for a date plus a clock value.
  • Format → Number → Custom date and time for a fully custom pattern. You can mix and match year, month, day, hour, and minute tokens.

The custom date and time picker also has a dropdown of preset patterns, useful when you want Aug 15, 2026 without remembering the format codes.

Things to watch for

  • Locale picks the pattern. Switching File → Settings → Locale changes the default date pattern across the file. Cells with a custom date format stay as set.
  • Typed dates need to match the locale. Type 8/15/2026 on a UK-locale file and Sheets might read it as text instead of a date, because 15 isn’t a valid month. Use the locale’s expected order, or paste the value and apply the format after.
  • The stored value is a number, not text. If you accidentally apply number format with no decimals, your dates flip to something like 45886. The shortcut puts them back.
  • Time portion gets dropped. This shortcut applies the date-only format. A cell that already had a time component still stores it, the display just hides it.
  • Sorting works on the stored number. Two cells displayed in different date patterns still sort correctly, because the sort uses the underlying serial.

Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts

Related Google Sheets shortcuts: