Spreadsheet Practice

How to create a list of dates with a formula in Excel

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=SEQUENCE(B2,1,B1,1)

Use SEQUENCE with the start date as its start: =SEQUENCE(B2,1,B1,1) lists B2 consecutive dates from the date in B1. Format the cells as dates.

Result on the example
a 14-row list that spills from D2 in D2
Works in
Excel 2021, 2024 and Microsoft 365
Google Sheets
Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in D2. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

SEQUENCE takes rows, columns, start and step. A date is a number underneath, so starting at the date in B1 with a step of 1 gives one date per day. The cells need a date format, otherwise the dates show as serial numbers such as 46209.

=SEQUENCE(B2,1,B1,1)

Result{14 rows × 1 col} 46209, 46210, 46211, 46212, …

  1. B214

    The value in B2.

  2. B17/6/2026

    The value in B1.

  3. SEQUENCE(B2,1,B1,1){14 rows × 1 col} 46209, 46210, 46211, 46212, …

    SEQUENCE: A grid of sequential numbers. Spills.

    • rowsB214
    • columns1
    • startB17/6/2026
    • step1

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =SEQUENCE(B2,1,B1,1). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results, spilling 14 rows.

Other ways to do it

Each one was run on the same example sheet.

FormulaResultWhen to use it
=B1+SEQUENCE(B2)-1spills 14 × 1Adds 0, 1, 2 and so on to the start date. Same list.
=SEQUENCE(B2,1,B1,7)spills 14 × 1Different resultA step of 7 gives the same weekday every week, for a weekly schedule. Fourteen Mondays, one week apart.

Common mistakes

  • Without a date format the result looks like 46209, 46210 and so on. Format the spill area as a date.
  • Typing the date inside SEQUENCE as text, SEQUENCE(14,1,"7/6/2026"), depends on regional settings. Keep the start date in a cell.

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.

Create a list of dates with a formula

In D2, list B2 consecutive dates, one per row, starting from the date in B1.

Questions

How do I list every date between two dates?

Work out the count from the two dates: =SEQUENCE(B2-B1+1,1,B1) with the end date in B2.

How do I list dates across a row instead of down a column?

Swap rows and columns: =SEQUENCE(1,B2,B1,1).

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.