How to convert a date to text
✓ Verified in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3Turn a real date into a text string in a format you control — for filenames, labels, exports, or joining.
The formula
| App | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excel | =TEXT(A2,"yyyy-mm-dd") | The format code controls the output: "mmmm d, yyyy" -> July 21, 2026; "ddd" -> Tue. |
| Google Sheets | =TEXT(A2,"yyyy-mm-dd") | Identical. |
| LibreOffice Calc | =TEXT(A2,"YYYY-MM-DD") | Identical (format codes are case-insensitive here). |
How it works
TEXT renders the date's underlying serial number as a string using the format code you give it, so July 21, 2026 becomes the text "2026-07-21". Unlike changing the cell format (which only affects display), the result here is genuinely text — it can be concatenated, used in a filename, or exported, but it won't sort or calculate as a date anymore. Pick the format to match your need: "yyyymmdd" for sortable filenames, "mmmm yyyy" for report headers. The reverse (text back to a real date) is DATEVALUE.
Verified, not just documented
We ran =TEXT(DATE(2026,7,21),"YYYY-MM-DD") in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3 (headless, with forced recalculation) and it returned 2026-07-21 — exactly the expected result. Every formula here is confirmed by actually executing it.