If you need to check there a cell contains a date or not, there is a built-in function in Google Sheets that will do this.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to use the ISDATE function in Google Sheets.
How to Use the ISDATE Function
The ISDATE function checks whether a value is a date. It will return TRUE if the value is a date, and FALSE if the value is not a date.
It is a very simple function that only accepts one parameter. Here is the syntax of the function:
=ISDATE(value)
- value – this is the value that you want to use in the function to check whether it is a date or not. The value has to have quotation marks around it unless you are using a cell reference in the formula.
Here are the steps to use the ISDATE function:
1. Select the cell where you want the function to calculate and enter the equals sign (=). Type ISDATE and press Tab on your keyboard
2. Select the cell that you want to use as your value in the formula, then add a closing parenthesis “)”
3. Press Enter on your keyboard and the function will calculate. You can copy it down to other cells if you have additional cells you want to check with the formula
In the example above we have used a cell reference in the formula. Remember that you can use actual dates as well, but they need to be wrapped in quotation marks like this: =ISDATE(“9/10/2021”).
Closing Thoughts
This is a useful function to check whether your cells contain dates or not. It only accepts one parameter so it is very simple to use.
There are other methods of accomplishing this in your spreadsheet, but we will cover that at a later time.
More Google Sheets Tutorials:
How to Insert Current Date
How to Calculate Age
How to Convert Text to Date
How to Use the WEEKDAY Function