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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchTo show only a date’s month and year in Excel, either change the cell’s number format or create a separate result with a formula. Use a format when you want to keep the original date value; use TEXT for a text label, or DATE(YEAR(...),MONTH(...),1) for a date value normalized to the first day of its month.
Choose the right kind of result
Excel stores recognized dates as values. A date format changes how a value appears without removing its day or changing its use in calculations. By contrast, TEXT returns text, while a formula using DATE, YEAR, and MONTH creates a new date for the first of the month.
- Keep the original date: apply a built-in or custom date format.
- Create a text label: use
TEXT, such as for a report heading or sentence. - Create a month-level date: use
DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2),1)when later date calculations or grouping should use the first of the month.
The examples below assume the source date is in cell A2.
1. Apply a built-in date format
- Select the date cells.
- Open Format Cells (press Ctrl+1 in Excel for Windows).
- Choose Date and select a month-and-year format if one is available.
This is the quickest option when Excel offers the display you want. Available date formats and defaults can vary with the Excel version and regional settings. Microsoft’s guidance on date formats is at Format a date the way you want in Excel.
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2. Set a custom date format
For a specific display, select the cells, open Format Cells, choose Custom, and enter one of these format codes:
| Format code | Example display |
|---|---|
mmmm yyyy |
March 2026 |
mmm yyyy |
Mar 2026 |
mm/yyyy |
03/2026 |
In these codes, m is a month number, mm is a two-digit month, mmm is an abbreviated month name, mmmm is a full month name, and yy or yyyy displays a two- or four-digit year. The format changes the display only: the original date, including its day, remains available for calculations and date sorting. See Microsoft’s instructions for creating a custom number format.
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Excel for the web does not support creating custom formats; use the desktop app for that step. Existing formats may still be available in the web experience, as described in Microsoft’s available number formats guidance.
3. Return month and year as text with TEXT
Enter this formula in another cell:
=TEXT(A2,"mmmm yyyy")
If A2 contains a date in March 2026, the result is the text March 2026. For an abbreviated month, use =TEXT(A2,"mmm yyyy"); for a numeric label, use =TEXT(A2,"mm/yyyy").
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Use this approach when the output needs to be text—for example, as part of a label or concatenated sentence. Because the result is text rather than a date value, choose a cell format instead if you need the output to behave as a date in date arithmetic or date-based sorting. Microsoft explains how to use the TEXT function.
4. Create a date for the first of the month
To create a separate date value representing the source date’s month, enter:
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=DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2),1)
YEAR extracts the year and MONTH extracts a month number from 1 to 12. DATE combines those parts with day 1, so a source date anywhere in March 2026 becomes a date for March 1, 2026. Apply the custom format mmmm yyyy to display it as March 2026.
This keeps the result as a date value, but unlike formatting the original cell, it replaces the original day in the new result with day 1. It can be useful when you need a consistent month-level date for calculations or grouping. Microsoft documents DATE, YEAR, and MONTH.
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If Excel does not recognize the source as a date
Number formats and date functions work as intended when the cell contains an Excel-recognized date value. If the cell instead contains date-like text, DATEVALUE can convert text that Excel recognizes as a date into a serial value. You can then format the converted value or use it with date functions. Interpretation depends on the text’s form and system conventions; if the text omits a year, Excel uses the computer’s current year. Avoid ambiguous text when the exact year matters. See Microsoft’s DATEVALUE function guidance.
If a date or formula result appears as #####, the column may be too narrow to show it. Widen the column before treating that display as evidence of a failed conversion; see Microsoft’s guidance on correcting display errors.
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