Changing date format to dd/mm/yy

Question

Hi guys,
I am losing my mind here, can you please tell me how to change date format from mm/dd/yy to dd/mm/yy?
I thought that these date format problems are solved by having correct region in 'regional and language options' setting in control panel.
But my Project 2010 still shows mm/dd/yy even though my Region is set as Australia, date format option in Project 2010 only allows you to change date format options to dozen or so possibilities but all of them follow mm/dd/yy format.
I can sense it is a very simple thing to do...because it bloody should be, so don't be afraid to throw 'you are such a noob' reply in my face :)

Answer 1

I don't have Project 2010 at hand to check, but in line with how this worked in previous versions of Project this setting would be in Project itself (not in the system settings).  In Proj 2007 it is Menu: Tools/Option, Tab: View.  Check in where view settings are controlled in Project 2010 for this setting.

Project must control this because Project stores date/time information as minutes since a point in history (I forget what date).  Project converts this data in minutes into the prescribed format on the fly.

Answer 2

Hi Miloski,

You're quite right in stating the date format is set up with Windows and Project takes that on.  I'm from England and my settings ar OK in Project 2010.  I've had a harder look at Control Panel - I'm using Windows 7 - Regional and Language/Change date, time and number forrmat.  In the dialog, it should be set to English (Australia) in the Formats tab as well as the Location tab ( I can't visualise why we need them both, or why one would want them different!)

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on :)

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for my free Project Tutorials

 

Answer 3

Hi Rob,

Sorry but I do not know which previous versions you refer to.
In all versions since Project 4 in 1995 this has been controlled by the regional and language settings in Windows

Greetings,
Jan

Answer 4

I think I've misunderstood the problem. Apologies.  I'll go back to my gin and tonic at the poolside.

Answer 5

Mike,

You've been a great help for me. I was struggling with the date format for the past two weeks as not that familiar with formatting in Project. I have more real experience in Primavera.

thanks anyway.

Satya Gady

Project Manager

Answer 6

You're welcome, Satya :-)

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See  http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for my free Project Tutorials

Answer 7

Hi,

I have recently had my laptop replaced with a new one running Windows 7.  When I first received it, having set the region and date formats for the UK, everything was fine in Project 2010 - (dates came out in dd/mm/yy format, etc.).

However, something has changed in the last week, as Project now insists on only offering me US date formats.  The region and date formats for the system are still UK, and Excel shows that it is using UK date formats.  But I can find nothing that can make Project recognise the UK setting.  We've even tried uninstalling and re-installing, but that didn't help.

The only guess we have is that one of the updates downloaded over recent days (I've had lots, given that it's a new system) has done something to whatever Project is looking at in, say, the registry.

Any clues?  My interim solution has been to create custom fields that can display the dates in the dd-mmm format I prefer.

Regards,

Neil Watson

EDW Project Manager

Answer 8

Hello Neil,

Could you please consider opening a new thread ? This one has long been closed.

Regards.

Answer 9

Meanwhile, pls check Shawn Steele's post on this thread: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itprogeneral/thread/b4f90f07-206c-494b-8d14-ee17bfa689e0