How to combine text with a date in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=A2&" starts on "&TEXT(B2,"mmmm d, yyyy")Format the date with TEXT before joining it: =A2&" starts on "&TEXT(B2,"mmmm d, yyyy"). Without TEXT the date shows as a number.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
C2, filled down toC6 - Works in
- Excel 2019 and later, including Microsoft 365
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in C2, filled down to C6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
Joining with & uses the cell's value, not its format, so a date turns into its serial number, like 46097. TEXT formats the date as text first; "mmmm d, yyyy" gives March 16, 2026.
=A2&" starts on "&TEXT(B2,"mmmm d, yyyy")Result"Priya starts on March 16, 2026"
A2"Priya"The value in A2.
A2&" starts on ""Priya starts on "The & operator joins as text.
B23/16/2026The value in B2.
TEXT(B2,"mmmm d, yyyy")"March 16, 2026"TEXT: Formats a number or date as text, e.g. "mmm" or "$#,##0".- value
B23/16/2026 - format_text
"mmmm d, yyyy"
- value
A2&" starts on "&TEXT(B2,"mmmm d, yyyy")"Priya starts on March 16, 2026"The & operator joins as text.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =A2&" starts on "&TEXT(B2,"mmmm d, yyyy"). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =CONCAT(A2," starts on ",TEXT(B2,"mmmm d, yyyy")) | Priya starts on March 16, 2026, Diego starts on April 1, 2026, Mei starts on April 13, 2026… | The same with CONCAT. |
| =A2&" starts on "&B2 | Priya starts on 46097, Diego starts on 46113, Mei starts on 46125…Different result | What goes wrong without TEXT. Shows "Priya starts on 46097". |
| =A2&" starts on "&TEXT(B2,"m/d/yyyy") | Priya starts on 3/16/2026, Diego starts on 4/1/2026, Mei starts on 4/13/2026…Different result | A short numeric date. Shows 3/16/2026. |
Common mistakes
- TEXT format codes follow the spreadsheet's language: German Excel uses "TT.MM.JJJJ" instead of "dd.mm.yyyy".
- Times need TEXT too:
TEXT(B2,"h:mm AM/PM"). A raw time shows as a decimal like 0.375. - The result is text, so you can't sort or calculate on it. Keep the real date in its own column.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Combine text with a date
C2, write "Priya starts on March 16, 2026" using the name and the start date, and fill down to C6.Questions
How do I add the weekday?
TEXT(B2,"dddd, mmmm d") gives "Monday, March 16".
Does this work in Google Sheets?
Yes. TEXT uses the same codes there.
How do I include today's date?
Use TODAY inside TEXT: ="Report run on "&TEXT(TODAY(),"mmm d, yyyy").
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.