Using Excel's number format tool means you can ensure your spreadsheet both looks the part and handles your data exactly how you want it to. In this article, I'll explain what each number format ...

Excel will then place a dotted line around the selected cell or cells to let you know that something has been copied (in this case, the formatting), and your cursor will change to a paintbrush icon.

Even though you need a format like 02/08/2021, Excel Online and Google Sheets may use something else, like 08-02-2021. At times, you might not like such a change due to a lack of familiarity.

Excel provides serial numbers for all of the date and time formats, from months down to individual seconds. See for yourself: Place your cursor in cell A1. Go to Formulas > Functions and select ...

DATEDIF(), which means Date + Dif, is a compatibility function left over from Lotus 1-2-3 that Microsoft adopted in Excel version 2000. It's fallen off current Excel menus, but you can still use it.