How does the 1904 date system work in Google Sheets?
Some Excel Mac workbooks used the 1904 date system, shifting serial dates by four years versus the 1900 system. Google Sheets follows standard serial dates with locale settings; watch for off-by-four-year bugs when importing old Excel files.
When to use it
Use date audits when legacy Excel files show dates four years wrong after import.
When to skip it
Skip 1904 worries for new Sheets-native workbooks.
Better Sheets resources
Related Tutorials
Watch how 1904 date system works
How Many Days Between Two Dates?
Google Sheets Interface Changes
Related blog posts
Guides that explain 1904 date system in more depth.
Google Sheets Interface Changes
New Date Chips and Integration with Google Workspace makes Google Sheets much more useful, within the ecosystem. It's a great tool within workspace now.
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Read post →Related terms
Locale separators
Locale controls whether function arguments separate with commas or semicolons and whether decimals use dot or comma. A sheet set to France may expect =SUM(A1;A10) while US expects =SUM(A1,A10). CSV imports and array literals also clash when decimal commas meet comma separators. File > Settings > Locale sets the default behavior for new formulas in that file.
Read guide →importing data into Sheets
Importing means pulling external data into a spreadsheet tab: from a file upload, another Google Sheet, a published CSV URL, or a function like IMPORTRANGE. The import dialog controls separator, locale, and whether new rows replace or append existing data.
Read guide →Excel XLSX and Google Sheets
XLSX is the modern Excel workbook format. Google Sheets opens it through File > Import or by uploading to Drive and choosing Open with Google Sheets. Most values, tabs, and basic formatting convert cleanly, but some Excel-only features need a workaround or a stay-in-Excel decision.
Read guide →Done reading about 1904 date system?
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