---
title: "How to convert a date string into date format in Google Sheets"
slug: "how-to-convert-a-date-string-into-date-format-in-google-sheets"
updated: 2026-09-28T06:23:30Z
published: 2026-09-28T06:23:30Z
canonical: "help.quickbase.com/how-to-convert-a-date-string-into-date-format-in-google-sheets"
---

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# How to convert a date string into date format in Google Sheets

To convert a date string into proper date format, you can use a formula in google sheets that will "translate" the string into a number. Then you can format the "date converted" column into a date on google sheets. For this, you will need another cell, as I have done below.

![Google Sheets showing date string conversion formula example](https://cdn.document360.io/dd260e4e-10bb-4b66-8fb3-5504c272b904/Images/Documentation/18237081437837?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-30T13%3A11%3A48Z&se=2026-10-30T14%3A11%3A48Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=DU2yHuUivApQJ5%2BjgZhiaWyAew2EPnwJBhISd%2FLIBAI%3D)

If you have a date stored as a string in Google Sheets and need to convert it to a proper date format, you can use a formula to achieve this. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to convert a **date string** into a **date format** in **Google Sheets**.

1. Create a **new column** in your **Google Sheets** where you want to store the converted dates. This new column will hold the formula to convert the date string into a proper date format.
2. Insert the following formula into the **first cell** of your new column:**=arrayformula( if( len(A2:A), datevalue(left(A2:A, 10)), iferror(1/0) ) )**
3. Modify the formula points to reference your original date column. For example, if your original date column starts at cell D2, modify the formula to:
4. *=arrayformula( if( len(D2:D), datevalue(left(D2:D, 10)), iferror(1/0) ) )*
5. Select the entire column containing the converted dates.
6. Go to **Format** > **Number** in the menu bar.
7. Select **Date** from the drop-down list.