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Extract Dates from Text

Paste emails, notes, logs or documents and every date is found, whether it is written as 03/15/2024, 2024-03-15, March 15th, 2024 or 15 Mar 2024. Impossible dates are rejected, and the rest are converted to a single format you choose, as a list or in place in the text.

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Options
0dates found
–earliest
–latest
0unique
–span
0invalid skipped

Dates in your text

Details

#FoundDateLineNote
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How to use the Extract Dates from Text

  1. Paste your text or open a text file. An example is loaded so you can see the result immediately.
  2. Tell it how numeric dates are written: month first (US, 03/04/2024 = March 4) or day first (4 March).
  3. Choose the output format, such as ISO 2024-03-04, March 4, 2024, or your own pattern.
  4. Pick the output: a list of dates (sort and dedupe if you like) or your text with every date rewritten in the new format.
  5. Check the table for ambiguous or flagged dates, then copy the result or download CSV.

Date formats recognized

Written in the textTypeRead as (ISO)
2024-03-15, 2024/03/15, 2024-03-15T09:30:00ZISO 8601 / year first2024-03-15
03/15/2024, 3-15-2024Numeric, month first (US)2024-03-15
15/03/2024, 15.03.2024Numeric, day first (15 > 12, detected automatically)2024-03-15
04/05/2024Numeric, ambiguous2024-04-05 (US) or 2024-05-04 (day first)
March 15, 2024 · Mar 15 2024 · March 15th, 2024Month name first2024-03-15
15 March 2024 · 15th of March, 2024 · 15-Mar-2024Day first with month name2024-03-15
Friday, March 15, 2024With weekday (checked against the calendar)2024-03-15
3/15/24 · 15-Mar-242-digit year (optional)2024-03-15
March 2024Month and year (optional)2024-03-01
March 15No year (optional, year you choose)YYYY-03-15
20240315Compact (optional, years 1900–2099)2024-03-15

Validation rules

  • Real calendar dates only. Months must be 1–12 and the day must exist in that month. February has 29 days in leap years: years divisible by 4, except century years not divisible by 400 (2000 was a leap year, 1900 was not).
  • Numbers glued to other numbers are ignored, so version numbers like 1.2.10, IP addresses and long IDs are not mistaken for dates.
  • Two-digit years use a sliding pivot: 00–49 → 2000–2049, 50–99 → 1950–1999.
  • Weekday check. When a weekday is written next to a date, the tool computes the real weekday and flags a mismatch, which often reveals a typo in the day or year.

Format pattern tokens

TokenOutput for 2024-03-05TokenOutput for 2024-03-05
YYYY2024DD05
YY24D5
MMMMMarchDo5th
MMMMarddddTuesday
MM03dddTue
M3[text]text (literal)

ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) is the safest format for spreadsheets, databases and file names because it sorts correctly as plain text and cannot be confused between US and day-first readings. To work with the extracted dates, try the days between dates calculator or the date format converter.

Frequently asked questions

Which date formats can it find?

ISO dates like 2024-03-15 or 2024/03/15 (with optional time such as T09:30:00Z), numeric dates with slashes, dashes or dots like 3/15/2024, 03-15-2024 and 15.03.2024, and written dates like March 15, 2024, Mar 15 2024, March 15th, 2024, 15 March 2024, 15th of March 2024, 15-Mar-2024 and the same with a weekday in front. Optional settings add 2-digit years, month-and-year dates, dates without a year and compact 20240315 dates.

How does it handle 04/05/2024: April 5 or May 4?

Numeric dates follow the order you choose. With Month first (US) it is read as April 5, with Day first as 4 May. If the first number is over 12, as in 25/03/2024, it can only be day-first, so it is read that way automatically. Dates where both numbers are 12 or less and different are marked ambiguous in the table so you can check them.

How are 2-digit years converted?

When 2-digit years are allowed, 00 to 49 become 2000 to 2049 and 50 to 99 become 1950 to 1999, so 3/4/24 is 2024 and 3/4/87 is 1987. Two-digit years are only accepted with slashes or dashes, because dotted numbers like 1.2.10 are usually version numbers.

Does it check whether a date is real?

Yes. Each date is checked against the calendar, including leap years, so 2024-02-29 is accepted but 2023-02-29, April 31 and month 13 are skipped and counted as invalid. If a weekday is written next to the date, such as Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the tool also checks that it matches and flags it if not.

Can I change the dates inside my text instead of listing them?

Yes. Set Output to Text with dates replaced. The original text is kept exactly as is, and only the dates are rewritten in the format you chose, which is a quick way to standardize dates in a document or a CSV export.

What tokens can I use in a custom format?

YYYY (2024), YY (24), MMMM (March), MMM (Mar), MM (03), M (3), DD (05), D (5), Do (5th), dddd (Tuesday) and ddd (Tue). Put literal text in square brackets, for example [Week of] MMM D. Anything else, such as slashes, dots, commas and spaces, is copied as written.

Does it understand relative dates like tomorrow or next Friday?

No. Only dates written with a day, month and year (or the optional partial forms) are extracted, because relative expressions depend on when the text was written. Times are recognized as part of ISO timestamps but only the date part is output.

Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?

Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.

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