In what format does Excel store dates?

Answer 1

They are actually stored as numbers, where dates are represented by the amount of days since the 1st of January 1900 inclusive. So the 1st of January 1900 is stored as 1. By storing them as numbers it makes doing date calculations, like finding out the amount of days between two dates, very simple. Dates can then be formatted to be displayed in many different ways, showing numbers or words and using the styles of dates used in different parts of the world.

Answer 2

It actually stores them as numbers, with values based on the number of days since the 1st of January 1900. Because they are stored as numbers this means Excel is capable of doing calculations with dates, like finding out how many days there are between two dates. If you change the formatting of a date to a number you will see it as a large number. See the related questions below:

Answer 3

Excel stores dates as numbers, starting with January 1, 1900. January 1, 1900 is stored as 1 and all subsequent dates are incremented from there. Storing dates as numbers makes date calculations, like finding out the amount of days between two dates, very simple. Dates can be formatted to display in many different ways, showing numbers or words and using the styles of dates used in different parts of the world.

Answer 4

Both are stored as numbers. Dates are stored as numbers, where numbers are counted from the 1st of January 1900. For times, 1 equals 24 hours.