C# DateTime format - formatting DateTime in C# (2024)

Table of Contents
C# DateTime Format methods C# standard format specifiers C# culture-specific standard format specifiers C# custom datetime format specifiers Parse datetime strings with format specifiers Source Author FAQs

last modified July 5, 2023

In this article we show how to do formatting of DateTime objects in C#.

C# DateTime

The DateTime value type represents dates and times with valuesranging from 00:00:00 (midnight), January 1, 0001 Anno Domini (Common Era)through 11:59:59 P.M., December 31, 9999 A.D. (C.E.) in the Gregorian calendar.

Format methods

To format DateTime objects, we can useDateTime.ToString, String.Format or interpolatedstring syntax such as $"{now:D}".

C# standard format specifiers

A standard datetime format string uses a single character format specifier todefine the text representation of a DateTime value. For instance, theD format specifier denotes a long date format.

SpecifierMeaningExample
Dlong dateSaturday, March 26, 2022
dshort date3/26/2022
Ffull date longSaturday, March 26, 2022 12:59:46 PM
ffull date shortSaturday, March 26, 2022 12:59 PM
Ggeneral long3/26/2022 12:59:46 PM
ggeneral short3/26/2022 12:59 PM
Uuniversal fullSaturday, March 26, 2022 11:59:46 AM
uuniversal sortable2022-03-26 12:59:46Z
ssortable2022-03-26T12:59:46
Tlong time12:59:46 PM
tshort time12:59 PM
OISO 86012022-03-26T12:59:46.7831825+01:00
RRFC 1123Sat, 26 Mar 2022 12:59:46 GMT
MmonthMarch 26
Yyear monthMarch 2022

The table lists standard datetime format specifiers in C#.

See Also
DateTime Formats in C#DateTime Format In C# - Code MazeData Type Formatting Reference | Ignition User Manual

Program.cs

var now = DateTime.Now;Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("D"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("d"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("F"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("f"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("G"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("g"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("U"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("u"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("s"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("T"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("t"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("O"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("R"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("M"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("Y"));

In the example, we use standard datetime format specifiers in theDateTime.ToString method to print the current datetime.

$ dotnet run Saturday, March 26, 20223/26/2022Saturday, March 26, 2022 1:15:12 PMSaturday, March 26, 2022 1:15 PM3/26/2022 1:15:12 PM3/26/2022 1:15 PMSaturday, March 26, 2022 12:15:12 PM2022-03-26 13:15:12Z2022-03-26T13:15:121:15:12 PM1:15 PM2022-03-26T13:15:12.6729121+01:00Sat, 26 Mar 2022 13:15:12 GMTMarch 26March 2022

Program.cs

var now = DateTime.Now;Console.WriteLine($"{now:D}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:d}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:F}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:f}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:G}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:g}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:U}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:u}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:s}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:T}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:t}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:O}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:R}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:M}");Console.WriteLine($"{now:Y}");

In the example, we use standard datetime format specifiers inside interpolatedstrings to print the current datetime.

C# culture-specific standard format specifiers

We can pass the CultureInfo to the formatting method.

Program.cs

using System.Globalization;var now = DateTime.Now;var ci = CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("sk-SK");CultureInfo.DefaultThreadCurrentCulture = ci;Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("D"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("d"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("F"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("f"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("G"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("g"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("U"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("u"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("s"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("T"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("t"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("O"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("R"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("M"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("Y"));

In the example, we print the current datetime with the standard datetime formatspecifiers for the Slovak culture.

$ dotnet run sobota 26. marca 202226. 3. 2022sobota 26. marca 2022 13:22:00sobota 26. marca 2022 13:2226. 3. 2022 13:22:0026. 3. 2022 13:22sobota 26. marca 2022 12:22:002022-03-26 13:22:00Z2022-03-26T13:22:0013:22:0013:222022-03-26T13:22:00.4524483+01:00Sat, 26 Mar 2022 13:22:00 GMT26. marcamarec 2022

C# custom datetime format specifiers

Custom datetime format specifiers are additional specifiers that allow usto build our own datetime formats.

SpecifierMeaning
dThe day of the month, from 1 through 31.
ddThe day of the month, from 01 through 31.
dddThe abbreviated name of the day of the week.
ddddThe full name of the day of the week.
fThe tenths of a second in a date and time value.
ffThe hundredths of a second in a date and time value.
fffThe milliseconds in a date and time value.
ffffThe ten thousandths of a second in a date and time value.
fffffThe hundred thousandths of a second in a date and time value..
ffffffThe hundredths of a second in a date and time value.
fffffffThe millionths of a second in a date and time value.
ffffffffThe ten millionths of a second in a date and time value.
g/ggThe period or era.
hThe hour, using a 12-hour clock from 1 to 12.
hhThe hour, using a 12-hour clock from 01 to 12.
HThe hour, using a 24-hour clock from 0 to 23.
HHThe hour, using a 24-hour clock from 00 to 23.
KTime zone information.
mThe minute, from 0 through 59.
mmThe minute, from 00 through 59.
MThe month, from 1 through 12.
MMThe month, from 01 through 12.
MMMThe abbreviated name of the month.
MMMMThe full name of the month.
sThe second, from 0 through 59.
ssThe second, from 00 through 59.
tThe first character of the AM/PM designator.
ttThe AM/PM designator.
yThe year, from 0 to 99.
yyThe year, from 00 to 99.
yyyThe year, with a minimum of three digits.
yyyyThe year as a four-digit number.
yyyyyThe year as a five-digit number.
zHours offset from UTC, with no leading zeros.
zzHours offset from UTC, with a leading zero for a single-digit value.
zzzHours and minutes offset from UTC.

The table shows custom datetime format specifiers in C#.

Program.cs

var now = DateTime.Now;Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("M/d/yy"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("MM/dd/yyyy"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yy-MM-dd"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yy-MMM-dd ddd"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yyyy-M-d dddd"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yyyy MMMM dd"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("h:mm:ss tt zzz"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("HH:m:s tt zzz"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("hh:mm:ss t z"));Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("HH:mm:ss tt zz"));

In the example, we build a few custom datetime formats.

$ dotnet run3/26/2203/26/202222-03-2622-Mar-26 Sat2022-3-26 Saturday2022 March 261:44:03 PM +01:0013:44:3 PM +01:0001:44:03 P +113:44:03 PM +01

Parse datetime strings with format specifiers

Both standard and custom DateTime format specifiers can be usedwhen parsing datetime strings into DateTime objects.

Program.cs

using System.Globalization;var ds = "Thu Nov 11, 2021";var dt = DateTime.ParseExact(ds, "ddd MMM dd, yyyy", CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);Console.WriteLine(dt);var ds2 = "10/22/2021";var dt2 = DateTime.ParseExact(ds2, "d", CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);Console.WriteLine(dt2);

In the example, we pass datetime format specifiers to theDateTime.ParseExact method.

$ dotnet run11/11/2021 12:00:00 AM10/22/2021 12:00:00 AM

Source

Custom date and time format strings

In this article we have formatted DateTime objects in C#.

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My name is Jan Bodnar and I am a passionate programmer with many years ofprogramming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. Sofar, I have written over 1400 articles and 8 e-books. I have over eight years ofexperience in teaching programming.

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C# DateTime format - formatting DateTime in C# (2024)

FAQs

C# DateTime format - formatting DateTime in C#? ›

If you have to put your DateTime value directly into your query string, you can simply use myDate. ToString("MM/dd/yyyy",CultureInfo. InvariantCulture); .

Learn More Now ›
How to get mm dd yyyy format in C#? ›

If you have to put your DateTime value directly into your query string, you can simply use myDate. ToString("MM/dd/yyyy",CultureInfo. InvariantCulture); .

Get More Info ›
How to convert DateTime to custom format in C#? ›

You can use the DateTime. ToString(string format) method in C# to convert a DateTime object to a string representation in a custom format. The format parameter is a string that specifies the desired format of the output string.

Read More ›
How to convert string into date format yyyy mm dd in C#? ›

ParseExact() method converts the specified string representation of a date and time to its DateTime equivalent. The format of the string representation must match a specified format exactly. string dateInyyyyMMdd = "20220519"; DateTime dateTime; dateTime = DateTime. ParseExact(dateInyyyyMMdd, "yyyyMMdd", CultureInfo.

Continue Reading ›
What is the default format for date time in C#? ›

Sortable date time is a standardized format for representing date and time values as strings, adhering to the ISO 8601 specification. It follows the specific pattern of 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss' (for example, '2023–04–26T10:37:16').

View Details ›
How to set format DateTime in C#? ›

WriteLinenow. ToString(“MMMM d, yyyy”)); // Results in “December 31, 2020” now. ToString(“d-MMM-yy”)); // Results in “31-Dec-20” In the first print statement, the ToString method follows the custom format string “MMMM d, yyyy” to deliver the full month name, day, and year separated by space and comma.

Tell Me More ›
How to change DateTime in C#? ›

In C#, there are several different ways to change a string into a datetime. Nonetheless, a DateTime object can be created from a date and time string in C#. The techniques are: Parse(), ParseExact(), TryParse() and TryParseExact().

Tell Me More ›
How do I convert DateTime to a different format? ›

Using the CONVERT Function to Format Dates and Times in SQL Server
  1. GETDATE(): It returns server datetime in “YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss. ...
  2. GETUTCDATE(): It returns datetime in GMT.
  3. SYSDATETIME(): It returns server's datetime.
  4. SYSDATETIMEOFFSET(): It returns server's datetime with time zone on which SQL Server instance is running.

Tell Me More ›
What is the DateTime format? ›

dd/MM/yyyy — Example: 23/06/2013. yyyy/M/d — Example: 2013/6/23. yyyy-MM-dd — Example: 2013-06-23. yyyyMMddTHH:mmzzz — Example: 20130623T13:22-0500.

Discover More ›
How to create a new DateTime in C#? ›

Working with Date and Time in C#
  1. DateTime newDate = new DateTime(year, month, day); DateTime newDate = new DateTime(year, month, day, hour, munite, second);
  2. DateTime currentDateTime = DateTime.Now; //returns current date and time. ...
  3. // Calculate age with TimeSpan struct.
Aug 30, 2020

Keep Reading ›

How to get the format of a date string in C#? ›

ToString("MM-dd-yyyy HH:mm:ss")); In this example, we're using the ToString method with a pattern like "MM-dd-yyyy HH:mm:ss". This pattern instructs C# to display the DateTime as month, day, year, hour, minute, and second, separated by dashes and colons.

View More ›
How to convert DateTime to string in specific format in C#? ›

To format it using the general date and time format specifier ('G') for a specific culture, call the ToString(IFormatProvider) method. To format it using a specific date and time format specifier and the conventions of a specific culture, call the ToString(String, IFormatProvider) method.

Continue Reading ›
How to parse DateTime in C#? ›

string dateString = "Tue 16 Jun 8:30 AM 2008"; string format = "ddd dd MMM h:mm tt yyyy"; DateTime dateTime = DateTime. ParseExact(dateString, format, CultureInfo. InvariantCulture); Unhandled Exception: System.

Discover More Details ›
How to get DateTime in 24 hour format in C#? ›

DateTime date = DateTime. ParseExact(strDate, "dd/MM/YYYY HH:mm:ss", CultureInfo. InvariantCulture);

Explore More ›
How to create DateTime C# with specific date? ›

DateTime DT = new DateTime(2019,05,09,9,15,0);// this will initialize variable with a specific date(09/05/2019) and time(9:15:00). Note: The (year, month, day, hour, minute, second) format is followed.

View Details ›
How to set date format dd MM yyyy in ASP.NET C#? ›

C# Code
  1. using System.Globalization;
  2. public partial class DateConversion: System.Web.UI.Page.
  3. {
  4. #region How to convert dd / mm / yyyy into dd - mm - yyyy.
  5. protected void btnConvert_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
  6. {
  7. DateTime dt = DateTime.ParseExact(txtDate.Text, "dd/MM/yy", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
Jun 18, 2016

Show Me More ›
How to convert date to specific format in C#? ›

dateString = "Sun 15 Jun 2008 8:30 AM -06:00"; format = "ddd dd MMM yyyy h:mm tt zzz"; try { result = DateTime. ParseExact(dateString, format, provider); Console. WriteLine("{0} converts to {1}.", dateString, result. ToString()); } catch (FormatException) { Console.

Learn More Now ›
How to format string in C#? ›

Example 1: C# String Format()

string strFormat = String. Format("There are {0} apples.", number); Here, "There are {0} apples." is a format string.

View More ›
How to get date in different format in C#? ›

In C#, you can get a date and string from a DateTime object into different formats using the ToString() method. Specify the format as a string parameter in the ToString() method to get the date string in the required format. The following example demonstrates getting the date and time string in different formats.

Read On ›
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