Why does Excel show 1/0/1900 instead of a blank?
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=IF(B2="","",B2+14)The formula reads an empty cell as 0, which a date format shows as 1/0/1900. Test for the blank first: =IF(B2="","",B2+14).
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
C2, filled down toC6 - Works in
- Every current version
- 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
An empty cell counts as 0 in arithmetic, so =B2+14 on a blank row returns 14, and a date format shows serial numbers that small as dates in January 1900 (0 itself as 1/0/1900). Checking for the blank first returns "" until a date is entered. Google Sheets shows the same values as dates in December 1899.
=IF(B2="","",B2+14)Result46311
B210/2/2026The value in B2.
B2=""FALSEThe = operator tests whether the two sides are equal.
B2+1446311The + operator adds.
IF(B2="","",B2+14)46311IF: Returns one value if a test is true, another if false.- logical_test
B2=""FALSE - value_if_true
""not used - value_if_false
B2+1446311
- logical_test
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =IF(B2="","",B2+14). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| =IF(ISBLANK(B2),"",B2+14) | 10/16/2026, , 10/23/2026… | ISBLANK works here because the blank cells are truly empty. |
| =IF(B2,B2+14,"") | 10/16/2026, , 10/23/2026… | An empty cell counts as 0, which IF treats as FALSE. |
Common mistakes
- A custom format like
m/d/yyyy;;hides 0 but not 14, so the blank test is the real fix. - The "" result is text: a formula that subtracts from it returns #VALUE!. Test for blanks there too.
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.
Why does Excel show 1/0/1900 instead of a blank
C2, return the date 14 days after the sent date, or a blank when there is no sent date. Fill down to C6.Questions
Why 1900?
Excel counts dates from January 1, 1900, so small numbers land in early 1900.
How do I hide 1/0/1900 from a lookup that returns a date?
Test the result: =LET(d,XLOOKUP(…),IF(d="","",d)).
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.