Excel has simple tools to work with dates and time. These functions help you calculate durations, deadlines, and schedules easily. This article explores the calculation of how many days is 2 months using Microsoft Excel.
Key Takeaways
- DATEDIF helps calculate the difference between two dates in days, months, or years.
- EOMONTH returns the last day of any month based on a given date.
- Use DATEDIF and EOMONTH to count days across months.
- NETWORKDAYS helps count only working days.
- Use Ctrl + ; to enter the current date.
Table of Contents
Understand Date Functions
DATEDIF Function
DATEDIF stands as one of Excel’s hidden gems, functioning as a time-traveling device for your data. This function is your go-to when you need to calculate the duration between two distinct dates. Perhaps you’re curious about an employee’s tenure, or you’re measuring the time since a project kicked off; DATEDIF stealthily computes the difference in years, months, or days without breaking a sweat.
EOMONTH Function
The EOMONTH function can be your secret weapon for managing month-end magic. By pinpointing the last day of the month with a wizard-like precision, EOMONTH serves a multitude of purposes—be it setting expiration dates, invoicing cycles, or ensuring your project milestones align with month-end close-ups. You just feed it any date, and, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, it reveals the finale date of that month.
And remember, if you’re planning ahead or revisiting past months, you can easily travel forward or backward in time by tweaking the function’s parameters.
Create 2-Month Day Count Formula
Step-by-Step Guide
STEP 1: Select the cell where you want the day count displayed.
STEP 2: Begin your formula with =DATEDIF( and select or type in your start date cell reference.
STEP 3: Add a comma.
STEP 4: Enter the EOMONTH function.
STEP 5: Close the EOMONTH function.
STEP 6: Type “d” for days.
STEP 7: Close off your DATEDIF function with a parenthesis ). Hit Enter.
Advanced Techniques
- Use NETWORKDAYS or NETWORKDAYS.INTL, if you wish to exclude weekends and holidays from your calculations.
- Include a
DAYfunction in theEOMONTHcalculation to count the exact days of the month.
Tips & Tricks
Keyboard Shortcuts
- To enter today’s date quickly, press
Ctrl + ;(semicolon). - To enter the current time, use
Ctrl + Shift + ;.
Quick Access Toolbar Customizations
The Quick Access Toolbar in Excel is the command post that welcomes your most-used functions.
STEP 1: Click on the dropdown arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar.
STEP 2: Select “More Commands…”.
STEP 3: In the “Choose commands from” dropdown, select “All Commands”.
STEP 4: Scroll and select “Format Cells” or other date-related commands.
STEP 5: Click “Add >>” to include them in your toolbar.
FAQs
What is the DATEDIF Function?
The DATEDIF function is used to calculate the time difference between two dates.
How to find a date that is 2 months ahead?
Use =EDATE(start_date, 2) to calculate 2 months from a date in Excel, where “start_date” is the cell containing the original date.
How to count days between dates in Excel?
You can subtract the start date from the end date to get the number of days in between.
How to get the number of days in a month?
You can use a combination of DAY and EOMONTH functions to calculate the number of days in a month.
John Michaloudis is a former accountant and finance analyst at General Electric, a Microsoft MVP since 2020, an Amazon #1 bestselling author of 4 Microsoft Excel books and teacher of Microsoft Excel & Office over at his flagship MyExcelOnline Academy Online Course.











