Adding a date picker in Google Sheets will speed up the data entry process. Data entry will also be more accurate. This is because a date picker would allow you to pick the right date, despite the many formats.
2 Methods of inserting a date picker in Google Sheets:
- Format the cell as a date
- Use Data Validation
Let us begin by having a look at the two methods.
Method #1: Format the Cell as a Date
In this method, you enter the correct date. Google Sheets will automatically detect the date and insert a date picker. You can see the date picker when you double-click the cell.
Step #1: Open your Google Sheet
You can open your Drive, right-click in a blank space for a menu to open, and click on Google Sheets. This would create a new Google Sheet.
If you have an existing Google sheet, you can open it by double-clicking on it.
Step #2: Enter a date
Select a cell.
Enter a random date in the correct format.
For instance, if your Locale is set to United States, your date would be in mm/dd/yyyy format.
You can check your Locale by going to the File tab and clicking on Settings.
You can check your Locale here and change it if you want.
Now, in the selected cell, enter the date in the right format.
Step #3: Double-click on the cell
When you’ve typed the date, press enter on your keyboard.
Google Sheets automatically detects it as a date, and will insert a date picker.
You can check this by double-clicking on that cell.
Method #2: By using Data Validation
In this method, we manually enter a date picker, which can also verify the data as correct. This is the preferred method if you are going to share the sheet with other users, who must then enter a date. If they enter an invalid date, an error message will appear.
Step #1: Open your Google Sheet
You can open your Drive, right-click in a blank space for a menu to open, and click on Google Sheets. This would create a new Google Sheet.
If you have an existing Google sheet, you can open it by double-clicking on it.
Step #2: Pick a cell by selecting it
Select a cell by clicking on it.
Confirm your choice by looking at the Name box in the top left corner. In our example, it is A2.
Step #3: Select Data Validation
Click on the Data tab in the top main menu.
Select Data Validation from the drop-down menu that opens.
Step #4: Select Date from Criteria
The Data Validation dialog box will open.
From the Criteria drop-down, select the Date option.
Step #5: Customize your options
You have two options when there’s an invalid date:
- You can reject the input by clicking the Reject input radio button.
- If you only want to show a warning, you can click on the Show warning radio button.
You can check the Appearance checkbox to show a custom message. You can type a custom message into the field underneath this option.
Step #6: Click on Save
Once you have made your choices, click on the Save button.
You can test your field by double-clicking on it, a date picker will open.
Conclusion
You can use any of the two methods given above to insert a date picker in your Google Sheet. Option two is the better option if you have to share the sheet with other users, who then have to add a date into the field.