Salesforce Date Format Converter
Paste dates from Excel, a CSV or Salesforce. Get them in the format Data Loader, the API or SOQL expects, in the time zone you need. Free, no sign-up, your data stays in your browser.
The converter needs JavaScript. Salesforce’s recommended format: yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.SSS+HHmm.
Date Formats Salesforce Accepts
Data Loader reads many; these are the ones to use.
| Where | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Data Loader, recommended | yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.SSS+/-HHmm | 2026-11-05T14:30:00.000+0100 |
| Data Loader / API, UTC | yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.SSS'Z' | 2026-11-05T13:30:00.000Z |
| Data Loader, US | MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss | 11/05/2026 14:30:00 |
| Data Loader, European setting | dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss | 05/11/2026 14:30:00 |
| SOQL dateTime | YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ | 2026-11-05T13:30:00Z |
| SOQL date | YYYY-MM-DD | 2026-11-05 |
Why Dates Shift by One Day
Salesforce stores dateTime values in UTC and shows them in each user’s time zone. A time without an offset is read in the time zone set in Data Loader, so 2026-11-05 00:30 in Berlin becomes 2026-11-04 23:30 UTC, the day before.
Write the offset into every dateTime, or convert to UTC with Z, and the day stays put. Date fields have no time and no time zone.
The formats above come from Salesforce’s Data Loader Guide (opens in a new tab) and SOQL reference (opens in a new tab).
Safe imports
- Offset or Z in every dateTime
- yyyy-MM-dd for date fields
- European date format ticked in Data Loader for dd/MM
- Dates as Excel shows them: 05.11.2026 is text, not a date
Fix a CSV Column in Four Steps
Before a Data Loader or Data Import Wizard run.
- 1
Copy the Column
From Excel or the CSV, the whole date column.
- 2
Set Time Zone and Order
The zone the dates were written in, and whether 05/11 means May or November.
- 3
Pick the Target Format
Data Loader recommended for dateTime fields, yyyy-MM-dd for date fields.
- 4
Paste Back and Import
Format the column as text in Excel first, so it doesn’t turn the values back into its own dates.
Clean Data Before the Import
Most import errors start in the spreadsheet. Moving data into Account Engagement (Pardot), Marketing Cloud Next or Salesforce? We plan and run the import with you.
- Excel’s Date Numbers. Excel counts days from 1 January 1900 and treats 1900 as a leap year, so serial 60 is a day that never existed. Microsoft Learn (opens in a new tab)
- Valid Range. Salesforce accepts dates from 1700-01-01 to 4000-12-31.
- Broken Umlauts and Zeros Too?. The CSV to Excel fixer repairs encoding, separators and leading zeros.
More Free Tools
Salesforce Date Converter FAQ
Short answers to what people ask about Salesforce date formats.
What date format does Salesforce Data Loader use?
Salesforce recommends yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.SSS+/-HHmm. It also reads yyyy-MM-dd, MM/dd/yyyy and, with the European date format setting, dd/MM/yyyy, among others.
What is the Salesforce datetime format in the API?
ISO 8601 with a UTC offset or Z, for example 2026-11-05T13:30:00.000Z. In SOQL: 2026-11-05T13:30:00Z without milliseconds.
Why are my imported dates one day off?
A dateTime without an offset was read in another time zone and crossed midnight. Add the offset or convert to UTC before the import.
How do I convert an Excel date number?
Paste it above: 46331 is 5 November 2026, and .5 adds 12 hours. The converter accounts for Excel’s 1900 leap-year quirk.
Are my dates sent anywhere?
No. The conversion runs in your browser.
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