How to Use ISO 8601 Dates & Times in Excel to import into Circolo

What an ISO Date & Time Looks Like

ISO 8601 combines date and time in one clear format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS

Examples:

2024-06-15 14:30:00 (2:30 PM) - 15th June 2024 

Step 1: Typing an ISO Date & Time

Type something like: 2024-06-15 14:30:00 > Press Enter
Excel should automatically recognise it as a real date/time.

Step 2: If Excel Doesn't Recognise It

Sometimes Excel treats ISO date/time as text, especially in imports.

Option A — Convert using Text to Columns

• Select the column
• Go to Data
• Choose Text to Columns
• Skip straight to Column data format
• Choose Date
• Pick YMD
• Click Finish

Excel will convert it into a proper date/time.

Option B — Fix the formatting

• Highlight the cells
• Right-click → Format Cells
• Go to Custom
• Enter: yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss
• Hit OK

Related Article: What is ISO8601 Date & Time?