Blog · DATEDIF

DATEDIF for Beginners — Step by Step

Beginner-friendly tutorial for DATEDIF in Google Sheets.

What is DATEDIF?

Calculates the number of days, months, or years between two dates.

Syntax

DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Understand the arguments — DATEDIF requires specific inputs. Review the syntax above and make sure you understand each argument.
2. Set up your data — Organize your data with clear headers and consistent formatting before applying the formula.
3. Write the formula — Start typing =DATEDIF( in any cell and Google Sheets will show you the argument hints.
4. Test with sample data — Verify the output matches your expectations before applying to your full dataset.
5. Handle errors — Wrap in IFERROR() to gracefully handle edge cases: =IFERROR(DATEDIF(...), "N/A")

Expert Tips

Units: "Y" years, "M" months, "D" days, "YM" months ignoring years, "YD" days ignoring years.

Related Functions

Check out our complete formula reference for more Google Sheets functions.

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