Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Understanding DATE Field Formatting.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 25, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365
When you insert today's date using a DATE field in Word, you can specify a format for how the date is displayed by using the \@ switch with the field. For instance, if today is September 18, 2021, and you wanted to display the date as 18 Sep 2021, you would use the following syntax for the DATE field:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
{ DATE \@ "d MMM yyyy" }
You can easily change the format for the date by changing what is within the quote marks. The options are as follows:
| Format Code | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| M | Displays one or two digits for the month, as necessary. | |
| MM | Always displays two digits for the month. | |
| MMM | The three-letter abbreviation for the month. | |
| MMMM | The full name of the month. | |
| d | Displays one or two digits for the day of the month, as necessary. | |
| dd | Always displays two digits for the day of the month. | |
| ddd | The three-letter abbreviation for the day of the week. | |
| dddd | The full name of the day of the week. | |
| yy | Always displays two digits for the year. | |
| yyyy | Always displays four digits for the year. |
Note that the letter M must be uppercase in all formats, but that the letters d and y can be upper or lower. Any other characters you use in the format string are displayed as entered.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9260) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Understanding DATE Field Formatting.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
Word doesn't provide a field that allows you to return a word count for a portion of your document, but you can create ...
Discover MoreIf you define a group of custom properties for a document, you may want a way to display the contents of those properties ...
Discover MoreThe COMPARE field is rather esoteric, but it can be helpful when you need to compare two values using fields. The result ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments