--- title: "How to format a date column" description: "Show a date or timestamp column as a readable date. Set Data Type to Date & Time on the Format tab, then pick date only or datetime and a built-in pattern." sidebar: label: "Format a date column" --- Date formatting changes a timestamp such as `2026-05-09T10:00:00Z` to a readable date in popups, search, print, and export. Click the pencil on the date column on the `Format` tab, set `Data Type` to `Date & Time`, and pick a pattern; MangoMap provides four built-in patterns and no custom format string. The Format tab cannot change a text or number column into a date column. **[See it on an example map](https://mangomap-staging.com/examples-staging/maps/o3mzcc3e/attribute-formatting-lab)** Open the Attribute Formatting Lab. The `Sites — Formatted Attributes` layer is on when the map opens. Click a site. The `Opened` and `Last inspected` values show as readable dates. ## Before you start - The layer must be a vector layer (point, line, or polygon). - The column must hold date or timestamp values. The Format tab shows date controls for date columns automatically. ## Open the Format tab In the layer panel, select your layer. Click the `Format` tab. ## Open the format drawer Click the pencil icon next to the date column. The `Attribute formatting` drawer opens. ## Pick the Date & Time data type In the `Data Type` dropdown, select `Date & Time`. Two controls appear: `Format Style` and `Date Format`. ## Choose date-only or datetime In `Format Style`, pick: - `Date only` — the date portion. `2026-05-09T10:00:00Z` displays as `2026-05-09` (or your chosen pattern). - `Datetime` — the date plus the time of day. `2026-05-09T10:00:00Z` displays as `2026-05-09 10:00:00`. ## Pick the date format In `Date Format`, pick the pattern: - `DD-MM-YYYY` — `09-05-2026` (or `09-05-2026 10:00:00` with `Datetime`). Common in the UK and most of Europe. - `YYYY-MM-DD` — `2026-05-09`. The default. - `MM-DD-YYYY` — `05-09-2026`. Common in the US. - `Long format` — `Sat 09 May 2026` (or `10:00:00 AM Sat 09 May 2026` with `Datetime`). Day name + day + month name + year. The `Preview` at the bottom of the drawer updates live. Attribute formatting drawer for the Last inspected column, with Data Type set to Date & Time, Format Style set to Datetime, Date Format set to DD-MM-YYYY, Preview: 03-02-2026 21:45:03, and the Cancel and Save buttons. The Format tab of the Sites — Formatted Attributes layer shows behind it, where date rows have a calendar icon ## Save Click `Save`. Closing or cancelling the drawer does not save the change. The format applies in the default popup, custom popup templates, data search results, and print/export popups. ## If your dates have time zones MangoMap displays the date in the original time zone of the data (or as it was stored). If your data is stored in UTC and you want local-time display, the Format tab won't convert — you'd need to convert the column to local time before importing. ## If you want a different pattern If you need something specific (`May 9, 2026` American long form, or `09/05/26` two-digit year), choose the closest of the four built-in options. ## If the date displays as a number or as raw text The column may not be detected as a date column at import time — it could have been imported as text or as a number. Check the row's data-type chip on the Format tab. If it shows a non-date type, you'd need to re-import the source data with the column flagged as a date in the source format (in your CSV's column header, in your shapefile's `.dbf`, etc.). The Format tab can't reinterpret a non-date column as a date. ## If your popup still shows the raw timestamp Check that the row's visibility eye is on, and that the layer's popup mode (in the `Popup` tab) isn't set to `None`. ## Related - [Attribute format controls](/docs/formatting-attributes/attribute-format-reference) - [How attribute formatting works in MangoMap](/docs/formatting-attributes/concepts-attribute-formatting) - [How to import a CSV](/docs/importing-data/import-csv) — covers how columns are typed at import time. ---