Excel: Convert Dates from DD MM YYYY to MM DD YYYY (Fix Text Dates Fast)

Intro / The Problem

You have Excel dates like:

25 12 2024
27 01 2025

Excel treats them as text, not real dates, because the format is DD MM YYYY instead of MM DD YYYY.You can’t sort, filter, use date formulas, or load them correctly into Power BI / Tableau.

You need to convert text to a real Excel date, then format it.

Solution Summarized

1. Select the column
2. Data → Text to Columns
3. Choose Delimited → Next → Next
4. Set Column Data Format = Date (DMY) → Finish
5. Ctrl + 1 → Custom format → mm dd yyyy

Solution Steps

Step 1 — Select the Date Column

Highlight the entire column with the DD MM YYYY dates.

Step 2 — Open Text to Columns

Go to Data → Text to Columns and choose Delimited.

Step 3 — Skip Delimiters

Uncheck all delimiters. Click Next.

Step 4 — Set Date Format to DMY

Under Column Data Format, choose Date → DMY. Click Finish.
This converts Excel text to a real date.

Step 5 — Apply Custom Date Format

Press Ctrl + 1 → Custom → type:

mm dd yyyy

How to Verify It Worked

• =YEAR(A2) returns a year
• Sorting works correctly
• Changing to Long Date changes the display
• Works in Pivot Tables / Power BI

Summary

• Excel can’t recognize DD MM YYYY dates (when the region of the software is set to U.S.)
• Formatting alone does not fix text dates
• Text to Columns (DMY) converts text to a real date
• Custom format displays as MM DD YYYY