This article explains how to use the DATEVALUE function in any version of Excel, including Excel 2019 and Microsoft 365.
Make Excel recognize dates with the DATEVALUE function
The DATEVALUE function in Excel converts a text-formatted date to a serial number. Excel can then read the serial number to understand the date.
This Excel function is needed when a cell contains date information, but it is stored in plain text. Instead of automatically converting it to a date, Excel sees the cell as just numbers and letters, making it difficult to work with. This can happen if the date has been copied or imported from elsewhere.
The Excel DATEVALUE function allows you to generate the serial number of the date. You can then format the date properly as a date and use it with other date-based formulas, sort with other dates, and so on.
