date formatting not correct, even though i have English US selected

helen katz 5 Reputation points
2026-04-26T18:39:47.2166667+00:00

i don't know why or what i did, but now the date formatting in Excel does not work correctly. i go to Format Cells, click on Number, click on Date (while the Locale is selected to English (United States), but the selections presented are not correct. For example: instead of 3-12-16 it shows 3 12 16. NOTE i do know how to create a custom format, but there is no sane reason why i should now have to do that for ALL the files i have created over the years.
I have gone into Settings, Options, Time & Language, and set both Region and Language to English (US). There, they show properly. What the heck is going on???

wrong format 2.pdf

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-26T18:39:59.6933333+00:00

    Excel uses the date formats provided by Windows, and the list shown in Format Cells > Number > Date depends on the current locale and its date settings.

    To restore standard U.S. date formats in Excel without using Custom for every file:

    1. In Excel, select any date cell.
    2. Press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells.
    3. On the Number tab, choose Date.
    4. In Locale (location), make sure English (United States) is selected.
    5. Under Type, pick one of the built‑in formats that uses separators (for example, one that previews as 3/12/16 or 3-12-16). The preview in the Sample box shows exactly how it will appear.

    If the list still shows only formats like 3 12 16 (with spaces), that means the underlying Windows regional date pattern has been changed to use spaces instead of separators. In that case, adjust the Windows date pattern so Excel receives the correct formats:

    1. Open Windows Settings > Time & language > Region.
    2. Ensure Country or region is United States and Regional format is English (United States).
    3. In the same Region settings, open the detailed date format options and choose a short date pattern that uses / or - (for example, M/d/yyyy).
    4. Close and reopen Excel, then repeat the Format Cells steps above and reselect the desired Date type.

    If a workbook was created on another platform (for example, Mac) and behaves differently, also check the workbook’s date system:

    1. In Excel, go to File > Options > Advanced.
    2. Under When calculating this workbook, locate Use 1904 date system.
    3. Normally for U.S. Windows workbooks this should be cleared. Change only if needed, as it affects how serial dates are interpreted.

    Once Windows regional date settings and the workbook’s locale are aligned to English (United States), the standard U.S. date formats (with / or - instead of spaces) will appear again in Excel’s Date format list without needing custom formats for each file.

    References:

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