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TEXT Function in Google Sheets: Complete Guide with Examples | SheetXAI

D
David DeSouza
Dec 1, 2025
Clean flat vector illustration of a white document with a red border and folded top-left corner, prominently displaying 'TEXT' and 'Google Sheets' text. Two large circular icons are shown below: a red circle with a white 'S' on the left and a yellow circle with a white 'S' on the right. To the right, a dark red rectangular data visualization widget contains a white line graph overlaid on vertical bars. A stack of alternating red and yellow rectangular objects resembling books or files is positioned on the left. Stylized white leaf shapes appear at the bottom. The design uses a corporate color palette of white, red, yellow, and dark red on a light blue-grey background, representing text formatting and data presentation in spreadsheets.

The Problem

You have a date in cell A2 (like 1/15/2024) and you need to display it as 'January 15, 2024' or format a number as currency text like '$1,234.56'.

The Easy Way: Use SheetXAI

If you don't want to mess with formulas, the fastest way to do this is simply by asking.

With SheetXAI, you can open the sidebar and type:

Format the date in A2 as 'January 15, 2024'.

SheetXAI will instantly write the formula or script for you and fill the cells. It handles the syntax so you can focus on the result.

The Manual Way: The Formulas You Need

To do this manually, you need to use: TEXT.

1. TEXT

Converts a number or date to text in a specific format.

Syntax: =TEXT(value, format_text)

  • value: The number or date you want to format.
  • format_text: The format code that defines how to display the value (e.g., 'mm/dd/yyyy', '$#,##0.00').

Example: Format date as 'mmmm dd, yyyy' to get 'January 15, 2024'.

Understanding the Logic

  1. Value: The cell or number you want to format (A2).
  2. Format text: The format code in quotes that defines the output format.
  3. Result: The value is converted to text in your specified format.

Common format codes:

  • Dates: 'mm/dd/yyyy', 'mmmm dd, yyyy', 'dd-mmm-yy'
  • Numbers: '#,##0.00' (thousands separator, 2 decimals), '$#,##0.00' (currency)
  • Text: Add text with quotes: 'Total: ' & TEXT(A2, '$#,##0.00')

The Final Formula:

=TEXT(A2, "mmmm dd, yyyy")

Conclusion

Now you know the "classic" way to solve this using formulas. It's a great skill to have.

But for those times when you just want the job done without the mental math, SheetXAI is there to help.

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