Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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 2021
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 2021. 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 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Understanding DATE Field Formatting.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!
You can insert several dynamic dates into your document. One you may want is to add the date when the last edit was ...
Discover MoreYou can use the FILENAME field to insert a document's filename and, optionally, the path to that filename. However, if ...
Discover MoreOne of the things that Word keeps track of is how long, in minutes, you've been editing your current document. This ...
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 © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments