I’m working with a spreadsheet where I need to enter lots of dates quickly. Right now when I type something like 25032024, it just stays as a regular number. I want Google Sheets to recognize this pattern and automatically convert it to a proper date format like 25.03.2024. Is there some built-in feature or formula that can handle this conversion automatically? I’m looking for the easiest method possible since I’m not very advanced with spreadsheet functions. Any suggestions would be really helpful!
Honestly, Find & Replace is the quickest hack I’ve found. Hit Ctrl+H, use regex to match your 8-digit pattern, then replace with the proper format. It’s not fancy like scripts, but it works instantly for batches. Just backup first in case it goes wrong lol
Google Sheets doesn’t have a built-in feature for this, but there’s a workaround with a helper formula. I hit this same problem importing data from an old database that spit out dates as 8-digit numbers. Just use MID and DATE functions in the next column over: =DATE(MID(A1,5,4),MID(A1,3,2),MID(A1,1,2)) where A1 has your 25032024 number. This pulls out the year, month, and day parts and turns them into actual dates. After that, copy and paste values to replace your original numbers. Not automatic like you want, but it’ll handle bulk conversions without needing to mess with scripts.
Had the same problem with bulk imports from old systems. Manual formulas work but turn into a nightmare with hundreds of entries.
You need automation that catches these number patterns and converts them instantly. I built a workflow that watches specific columns in Google Sheets for 8-digit numbers, then auto-converts them with TEXT and DATE functions.
Best part? It runs in the background. Type 25032024, hit enter, and boom - it’s 25.03.2024 without lifting a finger. No more dragging formulas or memorizing syntax.
It’ll handle different formats too. Sometimes data comes as DDMMYYYY, sometimes MMDDYYYY. The automation figures out the pattern and applies the right conversion.
This saved me hours every week processing financial reports with mixed date formats. Way more reliable than trying to remember which formula goes where.
I’ve had good luck with Google Apps Script for this. Had thousands of date entries from CSV exports and needed something that wouldn’t break like formulas do. Wrote a simple script that watches for cell changes and converts 8-digit numbers to dates when they match DDMMYYYY. Takes maybe 5 minutes - just go to Extensions > Apps Script and paste the conversion code. After that, typing 25032024 instantly becomes a proper date in whatever columns you set up. Best part is the script sticks with your sheet, so you’re not rebuilding it constantly. Perfect if you’re always entering dates in that format.