totn Excel Functions

MS Excel: How to use the FORMAT Function with Dates (VBA)

This Excel tutorial explains how to use the Excel FORMAT function (as it applies to date values) with syntax and examples.

Description

The Microsoft Excel FORMAT function takes a date expression and returns it as a formatted string.

The FORMAT function is a built-in function in Excel that is categorized as a Date/Time Function. It can be used as a VBA function (VBA) in Excel. As a VBA function, you can use this function in macro code that is entered through the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor.

Syntax

The syntax for the FORMAT function in Microsoft Excel is:

Format ( expression, [ format, [ firstdayofweek, [firstweekofyear] ] ] )

Parameters or Arguments

expression
The date value to format.
format

Optional. It is the format to apply to the expression. You can either define your own format or use one of the named formats that Excel has predefined such as:

Format Explanation
General Date Displays date based on your system settings
Long Date Displays date based on your system's long date setting
Medium Date Displays date based on your system's medium date setting
Short Date Displays date based on your system's short date setting
Long Time Displays time based on your system's long time setting
Medium Time Displays time based on your system's medium time setting
Short Time Displays time based on your system's short time setting
firstdayofweek

Optional. It is a value that specifies the first day of the week. If this parameter is omitted, it assumes that Sunday is the first day of the week. This parameter can be one of the following values:

Constant Value Explanation
vbUseSystem 0 Uses the NLS API setting
VbSunday 1 Sunday (default, if parameter is omitted)
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbWednesday 4 Wednesday
vbThursday 5 Thursday
vbFriday 6 Friday
vbSaturday 7 Saturday
firstweekofyear

Optional. It is a value that specifies the first week of the year. If this parameter is omitted, it assumes that the week that contains January 1 is the first week of the year. This parameter can be one of the following values:

Constant Value Explanation
vbUseSystem 0 Uses the NLS API setting
vbFirstJan1 1 The week that contains January 1
vbFirstFourDays 2 The first week that has at least 4 days in the year
vbFirstFullWeek 3 The first full week of the year

Returns

The FORMAT function returns a string value.

Applies To

  • Excel for Office 365, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2011 for Mac, Excel 2010, Excel 2007, Excel 2003, Excel XP, Excel 2000

Type of Function

  • VBA function (VBA)

Example (as VBA Function)

The FORMAT function can only be used in VBA code in Microsoft Excel.

Let's look at some Excel FORMAT function examples and explore how to use the FORMAT function in Excel VBA code:

Format(#17/04/2004#, "Short Date")
Result: '17/04/2004'

Format(#17/04/2004#, "Long Date")
Result: 'April 17, 2004'

Format(#17/04/2004#, "yyyy/mm/dd")
Result: '2004/04/17'

For example:

Dim LValue As String

LValue = Format(Date, "yyyy/mm/dd")

In this example, the variable called LValue would now contain the date formatted as yyyy/mm/dd.