5 Ways Excel Shows Day

Introduction to Excel Date Functions

Excel is a powerful tool that offers a wide range of functions to manipulate and display dates. One common requirement is to show the day of the week for a given date. Excel provides several ways to achieve this, each with its own unique characteristics and applications. In this post, we will explore five ways Excel can display the day of the week for a date.

Method 1: Using the TEXT Function

The TEXT function in Excel is a versatile function that can format a date in various ways, including showing the day of the week. The syntax for the TEXT function is TEXT(date, format), where date is the date you want to format, and format is the format you want to apply. To show the day of the week, you can use the format "dddd" for the full day name or "ddd" for the abbreviated day name. For example, if you have a date in cell A1, you can use the formula =TEXT(A1, "dddd") to display the full day name.

Method 2: Using the WEEKDAY Function

The WEEKDAY function returns a number representing the day of the week for a given date. The syntax is WEEKDAY(date, [return_type]), where date is the date for which you want to find the day of the week, and [return_type] is an optional argument that specifies the day of the week to return as the first day (1 = Sunday, 2 = Monday, etc.). You can then use the CHOOSE function to convert this number into the day name. For example, =CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(A1), "Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday").

Method 3: Using the DATEPART Function in VBA

For those familiar with VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), the DATEPART function can be used within a user-defined function to return the day of the week. This method requires creating a VBA module and writing a custom function. The DATEPART function’s syntax is DATEPART(interval, date), where interval specifies the part of the date to return, and date is the date from which to extract the part. To get the day of the week, you would use interval = "ww" or "w" and then convert the result to the day name.

Method 4: Using Power Query

Power Query, a business intelligence tool in Excel, can also be used to extract the day of the week from a date column. By adding a custom column and using the Date.DayOfWeek function, you can easily achieve this. The steps involve loading your data into Power Query, adding a new column, and then applying the formula to that column.

Method 5: Using the DAY Function with IF Statements

Although less direct, combining the DAY function with a series of IF statements or using the IF function in combination with the WEEKDAY function can also display the day of the week. This method is more cumbersome and less efficient than the others but can be useful in specific scenarios where a more customized output is required.

Method	Description	Example Formula
TEXT Function	Formats a date as a string representing the day of the week.	=TEXT(A1, "dddd")
WEEKDAY Function	Returns a number representing the day of the week and can be combined with CHOOSE to get the day name.	=CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(A1), "Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday")
DATEPART Function in VBA	Requires VBA and returns the specified part of a date, including the day of the week.	Custom VBA function required
Power Query	Uses the Date.DayOfWeek function to add a new column with the day of the week.	= Date.DayOfWeek([Date])
DAY Function with IF	A less direct method involving IF statements to determine the day based on the day number.	=IF(WEEKDAY(A1)=1, "Sunday", IF(WEEKDAY(A1)=2, "Monday", ...))

📝 Note: When working with dates in Excel, it's essential to ensure that the system's date settings match the format you're working with to avoid confusion or errors.

To choose the best method, consider the specific requirements of your project, your familiarity with Excel functions or VBA, and the need for flexibility or customization in displaying the day of the week. Whether you’re automating reports, analyzing data, or simply need to display the day of the week for a given date, Excel provides multiple pathways to achieve your goal efficiently.

In summary, Excel offers a variety of methods to display the day of the week for any given date, ranging from straightforward formulas like the TEXT function to more complex approaches involving VBA or Power Query. Each method has its own advantages and can be chosen based on the specific needs of the task at hand, contributing to Excel’s versatility and power as a data analysis tool.