4 Ways to Use Excel WEEKDAY Function
In the fast-paced world of spreadsheet management, Excel functions are your best friends. One such versatile function is WEEKDAY, and in this blog post, we’ll delve into its intricacies to help you become an Excel maestro.
What is the WEEKDAY Function?
The WEEKDAY function in Excel returns the day of the week as a number (1 for Sunday, 2 for Monday, and so on) based on a given date. It’s a valuable tool for tasks like scheduling, data analysis, and more.
Syntax and Usage:
I’ll provide a detailed breakdown of the WEEKDAY function’s syntax, including examples of how to use it in various scenarios. This will include explanations of its optional arguments.
Practical Applications:
Explore real-world applications of the WEEKDAY function. From tracking project deadlines to analyzing sales data, you’ll discover how this function can streamline your work.
Tips and Tricks:
I’ll share some tips and tricks to make the most out of the WEEKDAY function, such as customizing the day numbering or working with different date formats.
Example 1: Basic Usage
Suppose you have a date in cell A2, and you want to find out the day of the week for that date. You can use the WEEKDAY function like this:
=WEEKDAY(A2)
- The cell A2 contains the date “11/02/2023” (which is a Thursday), the formula will return “5” because Thursday is the fifth day of the week.
Example 2: Customizing the Return Type
By default, WEEKDAY returns the day as a number from 1 (Sunday) to 7 (Saturday). But you can customize the return type. For example, to get the full name of the day (e.g., “Tuesday”), you can use the following formula:
=TEXT(A2,”dddd”)
- If cell A2 contains the date “11/02/2023,” this formula will return “Thursday.”
Example 3: Finding the Day with a Different Start of the Week
You can specify a different day as the start of the week using the WEEKDAY function’s optional second argument. For instance, to treat Monday as the first day of the week and get the day as a number from 1 (Monday) to 7 (Sunday), you can use this formula:
=WEEKDAY(A2, 2)
- If cell A2 contains the date “11/02/2023” (which is a Thursday), this formula will return “4” because Thursday is the fourth day of the week when Monday is considered the start.
Example 4: Calculating Weekdays Between Two Dates
You can use the WEEKDAY function to calculate the number of weekdays between two dates. Let’s say you have the start date in cell A2 and the end date in cell B2. To calculate the weekdays between these dates, excluding weekends, you can use this formula:
=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2)
- This function counts the number of whole workdays (Monday to Friday) between the specified dates.
These examples should give you a good understanding of how to use the Excel WEEKDAY function in different scenarios. If you have specific questions or need more examples, feel free to ask for details.