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Google Sheets Formulas

MONTH Function in Google Sheets: Explained

In this article, you will learn how to use the MONTH formula in Google Sheets. 

What does the MONTH Function do in Google Sheets?

The MONTH function returns the month from a given date. The MONTH function is beneficial when extracting the month from a specific date. For instance, the MONTH formula is helpful when you need to check each client’s contract month from a detailed client list containing contract dates for a year.

How to use the MONTH formula in Google Sheets

  1. Type “=MONTH” or go to “Insert”“Function” (or directly navigate to the “Functions” icon)  “Date”“MONTH”.
  2. Input a date manually or refer to a cell containing a date.
  3. Press the “Enter” key.
How to insert the MONTH formulas from the menu bar in Google Sheets

The general syntax is as follows:

=MONTH(date)

Date: the date from which the formula pulls out the month

Imagine that you look at your client list containing contract dates with your customers and want to know which month you agreed with each client. Look at the following screenshot to understand how the MONTH function works in Google Sheets.

How the MONTH function works in Google Sheets

As you can see, the formula is simple. The MONTH function needs only one argument: a date or a cell reference to a cell containing a date. In the example above, the MONTH function in cell D3 refers to cell C3 containing “12/5/2022”; thus, the formula returns “12”. You can use this information in column D to sort the data by month with a filter or filter view, as described in the following section, or count the number of contracts each month by using the COUNTIF or the COUNTIFS function. If you are interested in the COUNTIF and COUNTIFS functions, check these articles: How to Use COUNTIF Function in Google Sheets / How to Use COUNTIFS function in Google Sheets

How do I filter by month in Google Sheets?

Once you have a table containing a column showing the month of each item, as you can see in the picture in the section above, you can set up a filer or filer view for the table. You can sort the data in the table by month with a filter or filter view. To learn a filter and filter view in Google Sheets, please check these articles: Filter in Google Sheets: Explained / Filter Views in Google Sheets: Explained.

How do I make text in a month in Google Sheets?

To learn text formatting and how to make text in a month, go to this webpage explaining the TEXT function: TEXT Function in Google Sheets: Explained

Learn how to do this step-by-step in the video below 👇

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