How to Add Dates in Excel Automatically (2 Simple Steps)

While dealing with an Excel file, in many cases you may need to add dates to your worksheet. This article will provide a complete guideline about how to add dates automatically in Microsoft Excel. The process is so simple as described here.

How to Add Dates in Excel Automatically (2 Steps)

Let us have a look at this data set. We have the interview schedule of a company.

We have the names of the candidates in column B.

Now we have to add dates in Excel automatically in column C for their interviews.

Step 1: Adding the First Date

First, you have to enter the first date of the column. You can insert this in a few ways. Let’s check the ways.

Option 1: Adding Dates Manually

Here, you can insert a date manually in Excel. For this,

• You have to select the cell and write the date in any traditional format.

• If Excel can recognize it as a date, it will automatically accept it as a date. But whether it can recognize a date or not depends on the custom setting of Excel. If one format does not work, try another one.
• Here I select cell C5 and enter the date 10-11-2022.

• Now, after entering the date, you can change the format of the date according to your wish. To do this, select the cell and go to the Home tab> Date option in the Excel Toolbar under the section Number.

• Next, click the drop-down menu > select More Number Formats from the options available.

• After that, you will get a dialogue box called Format Cells.
• Now, in the Category box, under the option Date, choose any format you like from the box Type (i.e. 14-Mar-12).

• Now, I find my date has been converted from 10-11-2022 to 10-Nov-22.

Read More: Add Days to Date Using Excel Formula

Option 2: Adding Dates Using DATE Function

Excel provides a built-in function called DATE. You can use it to add dates in Excel automatically.

Syntax:

• It takes three arguments, the number of the year, the number of the month, and the number of the day, and returns the date.

For example, DATE(2020,5,13)=13-May-2020.

• Here I again select cell C5 and enter the formula

• See, Excel has accepted it as date, 10-Nov-22.

Now obviously if you want, you can change the format of the date in the way mentioned in section 1.1.

Read More: How to Count Days from Date to Today Automatically Using Excel Formula

Option 3: Adding Single Date Using TODAY Function

Excel has another built-in function called TODAY. It takes no argument and returns today’s date as output.

• If you want to add today’s date in Excel automatically in any cell (i.e. cell C5), enter the formula below.

• See, we have got today’s date, 10-Nov-22.

Read More: How to Count Date Occurrences in Excel

Step 2: Adding the Rest of the Dates

Now we have inserted the first date of the interview schedule. Next, we want to insert dates for the remaining candidates automatically.

You can execute this in two ways.

Option 1: Using the Fill Handle Tool

You can insert the remaining days by using the Fill Handle.

• First, select the first cell. Then drag the Fill Handle through the rest of the cells.

Then click on the Auto Fill Options.

You will get a handful of options like this.

You will find dates inserted in the remaining cells with increment 3 in each step.

• If you want to insert dates with increments anything other than 1, fill up the first two cells manually with the increment and then from Auto Fill Options, select Fill Series or Fill Days.

• To insert only weekdays with increments anything other than 1, fill up the two cells manually with the increment and select Fill Weekdays.

• In order to insert dates with increasing only month keeping the day fixed, with an increment of anything other than 1, fill up the two cells manually with the increment and select Fill Months.

• And in order to insert dates by increasing the only year keeping the month and the day fixed, with increment of anything other than 1, fill up the two cells manually with the increment and select Fill Years.

• Now suppose the CEO of the company wants to take the interviews after 5 days each.
• For example, the first interview is on 10-Nov, then on 16-Nov, then on 21-Nov, and so on.
• So he has to fill up the remaining cells with dates of increment 5 in each step. How can he accomplish this?
• To accomplish this, fill the first two cells manually as mentioned in section 1.
• I have inserted 1o-Nov-22 in cell C5.
• And 16-Nov-22 in cell C6.

• Now drag the Fill Handle through the rest of the cells.

• You will find dates inserted in the remaining cells with increment 5 in each step.

Option 2: Using Excel Toolbar Options

You can Auto-fill dates from Excel Toolbar options too.

• First, select the first cell and the rest of the cells which you want to auto-fill.
• Then go to Home> select the Fill option in the Excel Toolbar under the Editing section > click on the drop-down menu. From the options available, select Series.

• Next, You will get a dialogue box called Series.

In the Type options, select Date.

Next in the Date unit option, select by which you want to fill the cells.

• To fill the cells with increasing days, select Day.
• In order to fill the cells with increasing weekdays, select Weekday.
• To fill the cells with increasing months keeping the day fixed, select Month.
• And to fill the cells with increasing years keeping the month and the day fixed, select Year.

Then in the Step value box, enter the increment you want.

So, if you want to fill up the cells with upcoming weekdays with 3 days increment, the dialogue box will look like this.

• Then click OK.

And you will find dates inserted into your cells with weekdays with an increment of 3 days.

Read More: Excel Formula to Calculate Number of Days Between Today & Another Date (6 Quick Ways)

Similar Readings

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• Calculate Number of Days between Two Dates with VBA in Excel
• How to Create a Day Countdown in Excel (2 Examples)
• Use DateDiff Function in Excel VBA (5 Examples)
• How to Calculate Years Between Two Dates in Excel (2 Methods)

How to Subtract or Add Days to a Date in Excel

• Now we have finished entering an interview date for each of the candidates.
• But due to some unexpected reason, now the Chief of the company wants to add 2 days to the interview dates of each candidate!
• He can accomplish this in three ways.

Option 1: Using Excel Formula

This is the easiest method to add or subtract dates to any date in Excel.

Let’s say, we want to add 2 days with cell C5.

• First, select a new cell and enter this formula

See, we get the day after 2 days, 15-May-20.

• Now drag the Fill Handle to copy the formula to the rest of the cells with increasing cell reference.

Note:

We can subtract any days from the dates in a similar way.

Read More: How to Add/Subtract Years to a Date in Excel

Option 2: Using Paste Special Menu

There is another way you can add days to a date.

For this, you need not create a new column. You can add the dates in the existing column.

• First, select a cell and enter the value you want to add.
• Then, copy the cell by either selecting and pressing Ctrl + C.
• Or Right-click on the cell and select Copy.

• Then select the cells where you want the days to be added. I select the interview dates, cell C5 to C20.

• Again right-click on your mouse > select Paste Special.

• You get the Paste Special dialogue box. From the Paste menu, select Values. And from the operation menu, select Add.
• Then click OK.

• . You will get all the dates increased by 2 like this.

Read More: How to Subtract/Minus Days from Today’s Date in Excel (4 Simple Ways)

Option 3: Using a Macro (VBA Code)

You can add days to dates in Excel automatically by using a Macro.

• First, take a new module and insert this VBA Code.

Code:

Sub Add_Day_To_Range()
Dim myValue As Variant
myValue = InputBox("Enter the Days to be Added: ")
Dim c As Range
    For Each c In Selection.Cells
      c.Value = c.Value + myValue
    Next c
End Sub

• Firstly, write and save VBA codes.
• From the workbook, select the range of the dates (i.e. C5 to C20) and press ALT + F8 on your keyboard.
• You will get a dialogue box called Macro. Select the Macro Add_Day_to_Range and then click Run.

• You will get an Input Box. In the Enter the Days to be Added field, insert the number of days that you want to add. Here I insert 2.

• Now click OK. And you will find 2 days added to each of the interview dates.

Download Practice Workbook

Conclusion

So using these methods, you can add dates in Excel automatically (single or multiple), and then add subtract days from those dates in Excel. Do you know any other method? Let us know in the comment section.

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• Add Weeks to A Date in Excel [4 Fast & Simple Methods with Template]
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