{"id":4222,"date":"2016-10-20T22:50:31","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T20:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/?p=4222"},"modified":"2024-04-19T21:44:44","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T19:44:44","slug":"convert-values-dates-using-flash-fill-excel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/convert-values-dates-using-flash-fill-excel\/","title":{"rendered":"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Flash Fill<\/strong>\u00a0in Excel is a new feature that was introduced in <strong>Excel 2013<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Flash Fill allows you to combine, extract, move &amp; transform data that belongs in one column, into a new column.<\/p>\n<p>One of the cool uses of\u00a0<strong>Flash Fill\u00a0<\/strong>is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/convert-numbers-to-text\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">convert your values<\/a>\u00a0into Excel dates automatically.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"after-post-box\">\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dU8PUBhpeSU?rel=0 \" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"width: 0px;overflow: hidden;line-height: 0\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/MyExcelOnlinecomtutorials?sub_confirmation=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignmiddle wp-image-111468 size-full\" style=\"vertical-align: middle\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/1.yt_.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"line-two\"><a class=\"IRPP_minimalist icon-download button small\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Values-to-Dates.xlsx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-leadbox=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Values-to-Dates.xlsx\" data-leadbox-id=\"147284833f72a2:12f08263ab46dc\"><span class=\"ctaText px-3 text-capitalize\"> download excel workbook <i class=\"fa fa-download\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"postTitle px-3\">Flash-Fill-Convert-Values-to-Dates.xlsx<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To demonstrate the power of Excel&#8217;s Flash Fill, we will start off with this table of data where we need to convert to dates:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-01-1.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-01-1.png\" alt=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" width=\"263\" height=\"154\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>STEP 1<\/strong>:<\/span> Type<em>\u00a004-23-2016\u00a0<\/em>as the first entry in the <strong>Date Format column. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-02-1.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4233\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-02-1.png\" alt=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" width=\"268\" height=\"162\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>STEP 2<\/strong>:<\/span>\u00a0We want the rest of the Text\u00a0to be formatted this way, so in the second entry, type\u00a0<em>12-30-2015.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>(It is recommended to even type in a 3rd entry when dealing with dates, as there are many permutations and regional\u00a0time formats!)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Notice that Excel did not auto-suggest to Flash Fill. There are times that this happens.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-03-1.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4234\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-03-1.png\" alt=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" width=\"268\" height=\"156\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Since\u00a0Flash Fill did not\u00a0start automatically when you are expecting for it to match your pattern, you can start it manually by highlighting the entire column you want it to fill.<\/p>\n<p>Then click\u00a0<strong>Data &gt; Flash Fill <\/strong>or another alternative is to press <strong>Ctrl+E<\/strong> keyboard <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/333-excel-shortcuts-for-windows-and-mac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"shortcut\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">shortcut<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-04-1.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4235\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-04-1.png\" alt=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" width=\"306\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-04-1.png 306w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-04-1-300x193.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 306px) 100vw, 306px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-troubleshoot.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"How to Use Flash Fill In Excel\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4219\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-troubleshoot.png\" alt=\"How to Use Flash Fill In Excel\" width=\"659\" height=\"157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-troubleshoot.png 659w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-troubleshoot-300x71.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>STEP 3: <\/strong><\/span>You now have your data auto-populated using <strong>Flash Fill. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What is very impressive is Excel was able to apply the same date format\u00a0pattern\u00a0to the rest of the table\u00a0<strong>without the use of a single <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/top-excel-formulas-function-examples-to-get-better-at-microsoft-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"formula\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">formula<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-05-1.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4236\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-05-1.png\" alt=\"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel\" width=\"305\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-05-1.png 305w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flash-Fill-Convert-Text-to-Dates-05-1-300x197.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/podcast\/007-data-cleansing-analysis-with-oz-du-soleil-excel-podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"3 Quick Ways on How To Create A List In Excel\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3233 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Oz_Podcast_Banner.jpg\" alt=\"3 Quick Ways on How To Create A List In Excel\" width=\"728\" height=\"90\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Oz_Podcast_Banner.jpg 728w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Oz_Podcast_Banner-300x37.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Flash Fill\u00a0in Excel is a new feature that was introduced in Excel 2013. Flash Fill allows you to combine, extract, move &amp; transform data that belongs in one column, into a new column. One of the cool uses of\u00a0Flash Fill\u00a0is convert your values\u00a0into Excel dates automatically. &nbsp; \ufeff download excel workbook Flash-Fill-Convert-Values-to-Dates.xlsx &nbsp; To [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"Convert Values to Dates Using Flash Fill In Excel","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[6,41],"tags":[88,162,169],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4222"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}