To enter a specific date or time format, such as January 2010, you can format it as text by selecting Text in the Category list. To quickly enter the current date in your worksheet, select any empty cell, and then press CTRL+; (semicolon), and then press ENTER, if necessary.

To convert a text date in a cell to a serial number, use the DATEVALUE function. Then copy the formula, select the cells that contain the text dates, and use Paste Special to apply a date format to them. Select the cell that contains the text-formatted date that you want to convert.

In the Format Cells box, click the Number tab. In the Category list, click Date, and then choose a date format you want in Type. You can adjust this format in the last step below. Go back to the Category list, and choose Custom. Under Type, you’ll see the format code for the date format you chose in the previous step. The built-in date format ...

The TEXT function lets you change the way a number appears by applying formatting to it with format codes. It's useful in situations where you want to display numbers in a more readable format, or you want to combine numbers with text or symbols.

Stop Excel from entering dates automatically by changing numbers to dates. You can format cells as text before you enter numbers. Or if you have just a few numbers to work with, enter a space before the number, or an apostrophe.

Format numbers as dates, currency, or even fractions to cells in a worksheet. For example, if you’re working on your quarterly budget, the Currency number format shows your numbers as money.

The DATEVALUE function converts a date that is stored as text to a serial number that Excel recognizes as a date. The DATEVALUE function is helpful in cases where a worksheet contains dates in a text format that you want to filter, sort, or format as dates, or use in date calculations.

In Excel, you can format numbers in cells for things like currency, percentages, decimals, dates, phone numbers, or social security numbers. Select a cell or a cell range. On the Home tab, select Number from the drop-down.

Use number formats to change the appearance of numbers, including dates and times, without changing the actual number. You can also change how negative numbers are displayed and control the display of digits after the decimal point in a number.

To format your results as dates, select cell B1. Select the arrow next to Number Format, > Short Date. Subtract months from a date. We’ll use the same EDATE function to subtract months from a date. Type a date in Cell A1 and in cell B1, type the formula =EDATE(4/15/2013,-5).