Looker Studio date format guide
July 12, 2024
· Timmy Bontegard
Looker Studio gives you several ways to change how a date appears. The right method depends on whether you need to adjust the display, group records into reporting periods, or produce a custom text label.
For most dashboards, start with the field’s date properties. Use a calculated field only when the report needs a derived value such as month, week, or a custom label.
Keep date fields as dates where possible
Formatting a date as text can break chronological sorting, date-range controls, and time-series charts. Keep the original date field and create a separate display field when you need a custom label.
Change the date format in the field properties
The simplest option is to edit the dimension used by a chart. This does not require a formula.
- Select the chart or table.
- Find the date dimension in the Setup or Data panel.
- Click the field’s edit icon.
- Choose the required date type or granularity, such as day, month, quarter, or year.
The exact options depend on the field type and connector. A valid date field may be displayed as:
2024-01-22Jan 22, 2024January 20242024 Q1
This method works well when you need a standard reporting period and want the field to retain its date behavior.
Extract the month, week, or day
Calculated fields can extract part of a date for grouping or filtering. Common functions include:
MONTH(order_date)
WEEK(order_date)
DAY(order_date)
For a date such as 2024-01-22, these calculations can return:
Calculation | Example result | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
MONTH(order_date) | 1 | Grouping orders by month number |
WEEK(order_date) | 4 | Weekly reporting |
DAY(order_date) | 22 | Day-of-month analysis |
These functions return date components, usually as numbers. They do not automatically create labels such as January.
Month and week numbers also need context. If a dashboard contains multiple years, grouping by MONTH(order_date) alone will combine January 2024 with January 2025. Add the year or use a year-month field instead.
Build period fields that sort correctly
For monthly reporting, keep a year-month date field for chart sorting. If the dashboard needs a friendlier label such as Jan 2025, create that as a separate field rather than replacing the sortable field.
Week definitions deserve similar care. Week numbering can vary based on the first day of the week and the convention used by the source system. Check the result before comparing Looker Studio totals with an ERP, advertising platform, or finance report.
Create custom labels with `FORMAT_DATETIME`
When the standard display options do not fit the report, FORMAT_DATETIME can produce a custom label.
The general syntax is:
FORMAT_DATETIME("format_string", datetime_field)
For example:
FORMAT_DATETIME("%A, %d %B %Y", order_datetime)
For 2024-01-22, the result is:
Monday, 22 January 2024
Support can depend on the field type and connector. If the source provides a DATE rather than a DATETIME, you may need the corresponding date-formatting function or a type conversion supported by that data source.
Common format strings
Format string | Example result | Use |
|---|---|---|
%Y-%m-%d | 2025-01-01 | Year-month-day |
%d/%m/%Y | 01/01/2025 | Day/month/year |
%B %d, %Y | January 01, 2025 | Full month name |
%d %b %Y | 01 Jan 2025 | Abbreviated month name |
%A, %B %d, %Y | Wednesday, January 01, 2025 | Full weekday and month |
%a, %b %d, %Y | Wed, Jan 01, 2025 | Abbreviated weekday and month |
%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S | 2025/01/01 09:30:29 | Date and 24-hour time |
%H:%M:%S | 09:30:29 | 24-hour time |
%I:%M %p | 09:30 AM | 12-hour time |
%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S | 2025-01-01T09:30:29 | ISO-style datetime |
%Y-%j | 2025-001 | Year and day of year |
%U, %Y | 00, 2025 | Sunday-based week number and year |
%W, %Y | 00, 2025 | Monday-based week number and year |
%x | Locale-dependent | Locale date representation |
%X | Locale-dependent | Locale time representation |
FORMAT_DATETIME returns text. A chart may therefore sort April, August, and December alphabetically rather than by calendar order. Sort with the original date field or a numeric period key.
Use `CURRENT_DATE` and `CURRENT_DATETIME`
Current-date functions are useful for rolling calculations, status labels, and filters based on the report’s present date.
CURRENT_DATE()
This returns the current date.
CURRENT_DATETIME()
This returns the current date and time.
You can use these functions to support calculations such as:
- days since the last order;
- whether an invoice is overdue;
- records created during the current month;
- data freshness indicators.
Before using current time in an operational dashboard, check the report and data-source time zones. A timezone difference can move late-night transactions into a different reporting date.
Choose the right method
Requirement | Recommended method | Main caution |
|---|---|---|
Change a standard date display | Edit the field properties | Available formats depend on the connector |
Group by month, week, or day | Use date-part functions or date granularity | Include the year when periods span multiple years |
Create a custom date label | Use a formatting function | The result is text |
Build rolling date logic | Use CURRENT_DATE() or CURRENT_DATETIME() | Confirm timezone behavior |
Preserve date controls and time-series charts | Keep the original typed date field | Do not replace it with a text label |
A practical dashboard often uses two fields: a typed date for filtering and sorting, plus a formatted text field for display. That setup keeps labels readable without losing date-aware chart behavior.
Need help with Looker Studio dates?
We can review your fields, connectors, sorting, and reporting periods before they cause mismatched dashboard totals.