Date field type

The date field allows you to enter dates and times into your Airtable records. This article covers using date fields to streamline your team's and organization's work. 

Adding date fields in Airtable

Note

As a default, newly created date fields attempt to use your browser's local language when selecting the local format for dates. To update the default format, you will need to change your browser's language settings.

1. Visit your Airtable home screen.

2. Create or open your preferred base.

3. Add or edit a field.

4. Search for and select Date.

5. Click the ⌄ icon under the “Date format” section and select your preferred format. Options include Local, Friendly, US, European, and ISO.

6. There are some additional settings to consider as well:

   1. Include time - Toggle this button ON/OFF to show or hide time in the date field. When toggled on, click the ⌄ icon under the “Time format” section and select your preferred format (12 hour or 24 hour).

   2. Use the same time zone for all collaborators - Toggle this button ON/OFF to lock down time parity for collaborators who are working across multiple time zones. Note that the “Include time” option must be toggle on in order for you to access the “Use the same time zone for all collaborators” setting.

   3. Display time zone - Opt to display the time zone by toggling ON/OFF the “Display time zone” button.

   4. Default option - Lastly, you may choose to toggle on the “Default to current date” option. The date is set at the moment of record creation, not when the field was configured. Each new record gets a fresh timestamp.

      1. When enabled, this option automatically populates the date field with:

         1. Date-only fields: The current date (without time)

         2. Date-time fields: The current date and time when the record is created

      2. This is particularly useful for:

         1. "Created on" or "Date submitted" tracking fields

         2. Forms where you want to capture the submission timestamp

         3. Automations that create records

      3. Note that this setting does not prevent manual entry of past or future dates.

7. Click Create field.

Adding dates into date fields

1. Visit your Airtable homepage.

2. Open your preferred base.

3. Double-click the blank record you want to update and select your preferred date.

   1. Alternatively, you can enter your preferred date by typing it (11/15/26).

Note

Dates before 1/1/0000 or after 12/31/9999 aren’t supported in date fields.

Accepted date input formats

When typing dates manually, Airtable accepts several formats depending on your field's date format setting:

• US format - 11/15/23, 11/15/2023, or 11/15

• European format - 15/11/23, 15/11/2023, or 15/11

• ISO format - 2023-11-15

• Friendly/Local formats - Also accepts "January 15, 2023", "Jan 15 2023", "15 Jan 2023", and other variations

Tip: You don't need to type the full year - entering just the month and day (like "11/15") will assume the current year.

Understanding time zone settings

When "Include time" is enabled, you can choose how times are interpreted:

• "Use the same time zone for all collaborators" OFF (default):

  • Each collaborator sees times in their own local time zone

  • A meeting at "3:00 PM" will show as 3:00 PM for someone in New York and as 3:00 PM for someone in London

  • Best for: Deadlines, appointments that are local to each person

• "Use the same time zone for all collaborators" ON:

  • Times are locked to a specific time zone you select

  • A meeting at "3:00 PM EST" will convert to "8:00 PM GMT" for London collaborators

  • Best for: Global meetings, events that happen at a specific moment in time

  • Optionally enable "Display time zone" to show the time zone abbreviation (e.g., "EST")

Working with dates in automations and API

Regardless of how dates are displayed in your base, dates in automations and API responses always use ISO 8601 format in UTC. Examples:

• Date-only field: 2026-11-15

• Date-time field: 2026-11-15T14:30:00.000Z

For Scripting Automations, use the DATETIME_FORMAT() function to convert dates to your preferred display format:

//Convert ISO date to readable format

let formattedDate = DATETIME_FORMAT(record.getCellValue('Date'), 'M/D/YYYY');

Working with historical dates

Airtable's date field supports dates from 1/1/0000 to 12/31/9999, which doesn't include BC (Before Common Era) dates. If you're working with historical data that includes BC dates, consider these workarounds:

• Single line text field with BC/AD notation - Store dates as text in a format like "753 BC" or "44 BC". This approach:

  • Preserves the exact historical notation

  • Allows for easy reading and data entry

  • Can be filtered and sorted alphabetically (though not chronologically)

• Number field for chronological sorting - Use a number field where negative numbers represent BC years and positive numbers represent AD years. For example:

  • -753 represents 753 BC

  • -44 represents 44 BC  

  • 476 represents 476 AD

  • This approach allows for chronological sorting and filtering, though the display isn't as intuitive.

• Formula field for display formatting - Combine a number field (for sorting) with a formula field (for display). Create a formula that converts the number to readable BC/AD format:

  • IF({Year} < 0, ABS({Year}) & " BC", {Year} & " AD")

  • This gives you both chronological sorting capability and human-readable dates.

Note

These workarounds don't support Airtable's native date-based features like calendar views, date-based grouping, or date rollup functions. Choose the approach that best fits your workflow needs.

Troubleshooting date fields

• My dates are showing in the wrong time zone

  • Check if "Use the same time zone for all collaborators" is enabled

  • Verify your browser's time zone settings match your location

  • Remember: Collaborators in different time zones may see different times unless you lock to a specific time zone

• My automation shows dates differently than my base

  • This is expected - automations always use ISO format

  • Use DATETIME_FORMAT() in scripting automations to reformat dates

• The date format changed when I shared my base

  • If using "Local" format, the date display adapts to each viewer's browser language

  • Use "US", "European", or "ISO" formats for consistent display across all users

FAQs