✨ Want a cleaner date display in Notion? Here's how.
Notion’s default Date properties include both the date and time—but in many setups, you only care about the date.
While you can turn off the time in regular Date properties manually, formula-generated dates like now()
or dateAdd()
don’t give you that option. And if you want to add text or combine columns, you're back to square one.
That’s where formatDate()
comes in.
It gives you full control over how your dates look, lets you remove the time, and even lets you customize the format.
*If you’re just getting started with dates, you might also enjoy our guide on [How to Automatically Add Due Dates in Notion] to simplify that first step.
📝 Step-by-Step: Remove Time from a Date in Notion
1. Set the Column to “Formula”
Click the column title → Change property type to Formula.
2. Open the Formula Editor
Click Edit Formula to open the editor window.
3. Type formatDate()
and Select It
Notion will auto-suggest it. Select it from the list.
4. Insert Your Original Date Column
Inside the parentheses, add the property you're working with:
formatDate(prop("Due Date"), "YYYY-MM-DD")
📌 Make sure the column returns a date—more on this in the FAQ.
5. Save and Done!
Click Save. The time part disappears, and you’re left with a clean date.
💡 Bonus Tips
Add Text Around the Date
You can add strings before or after the date:
"Task due on " + formatDate(prop("Due Date"), "YYYY-MM-DD")
Use Custom Date Formats
Try different formats to suit your needs:
"MMM DD"
→Jun 26
"dddd"
→Wednesday
"MM/DD/YYYY"
→06/26/2025
❓ FAQ: Notion Date Formatting with formatDate()
1. Can’t I just turn off the time in a Date property?
Yes, if you’re using a Date property (and entering the date manually), you can toggle off the time.
But this formula method is useful when:
- You’re using date formulas like
now()
, ordateAdd()
—which always include time - You want to combine the date with other text or fields
- You need to standardize formatting across databases and views
So while toggling works in some cases, formatDate()
is more flexible and reliable.
2. Will I still be able to filter or sort by the date?
Not with the formatted result.
Once you use formatDate()
, the output becomes text, not a true date. That means:
- You can’t sort or filter this column as a date anymore
- You should keep the original Date property for filtering and sorting
- Use the
formatDate()
column purely for display
3. Does formatDate()
only work with Date properties?
Nope!
It works with any property or formula that returns a valid date, including:
- Regular Date properties
- Date-returning formulas like
now()
ordateAdd()
But it won’t work if you pass:
- A Text property that looks like a date (e.g.,
"2025-06-26"
) - A formula that returns text instead of a date
✅ Pro tip: Hover over the result of a formula to check its data type.
✅ Summary
Use formatDate()
in Notion when you:
- Want to remove the time from a formula-generated date
- Need to display clean, customized dates
- Want to combine dates with text for context
It’s a simple tool, but it makes your workspace cleaner, clearer, and much more readable.
Try the demo above to get started in seconds!