MONTH in Excel: Extract Month Number (1-12) from Date

Returns the month of a date, a number from 1 (January) to 12 (December).

Generated Formula
=MONTH(A1)

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How to Extract the Month from a Date in Excel

The MONTH function extracts the month of a date represented by a number from 1 (January) to 12 (December).

Syntax

=MONTH(serial_number)

To Get Month Name instead of Number

Use =TEXT(A2, "mmmm") for full month name (e.g., "August") or =TEXT(A2, "mmm") for short abbreviation (e.g., "Aug").

Common Errors & Fixes

  • MONTH returns wrong value

    Causes:
    • The date cell contains a serial number display issue.
    • The input is text in an unrecognized date format.
    Fixes:
    • Format the date cell properly using Format Cells > Date.
    • Use DATEVALUE() for text dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does MONTH return a number instead of the month name?

MONTH always returns a number (1-12). To show the month name, use TEXT: =TEXT(A1, "MMMM") for full name or "MMM" for abbreviated name.

What does MONTH return for a blank cell?

MONTH returns 1 for a blank cell because Excel treats empty cells as date serial number 0, which corresponds to January 0, 1900 — month 1.

Does MONTH work in Google Sheets?

Yes, MONTH works identically in Google Sheets with the same syntax and behavior.

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