Date Subtraction in Excel (The Ultimate Guide for 2025)

In this article, we will show you how to do date subtraction in Excel. Simply follow the steps below.

How to Subtract One Date From Another in Excel

Here’s how you can subtract the dates in Excel:

1. Input the Formula to Calculate Days Between Two Dates

In our example, we have two important dates in cells A2 and B2: the start date, July 4, 2025, and the end date, December 25, 2024. We want to calculate the number of days between these two dates.

In any empty cell (cell C1), we will enter the formula =A2-B2. This formula calculates the difference between two dates by subtracting the end date in B2 from the start date in A2.

2. Execute the Formula by Pressing Enter

After typing the formula in cell C1, press the Enter key to execute the calculation. We will now see that our result reflects the total number of days between December 25, 2024, and July 4, 2025.

how to subtract one date from another excel

2. Format the Output to Display in Different Number Unit (Optional)

To see the result in number form, right-click on the cell with the result and select ‘Format Cells.’

Choose the ‘Number’ tab and set the decimal places to ‘0.’ Then, click ‘OK’ when done.

We hope that you now have a better understanding of subtracting dates in Excel. If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our article on how to subtract two numbers in Excel and how to subtract text in Excel.