7 Easy Ways To Skip Saturday And Sunday In Excel

Excel is an incredibly powerful tool for data management, but it can sometimes feel cumbersome when dealing with date calculations, especially when you want to exclude weekends. If you've ever found yourself wishing for a way to easily skip Saturday and Sunday while working with your spreadsheets, you're in luck! In this post, we will explore seven easy ways to skip weekends in Excel, ensuring your work is both efficient and accurate. Let's dive right in! 🎉

1. Using WORKDAY Function

The WORKDAY function is a fantastic way to calculate a date that skips weekends (and holidays, if needed). The syntax is simple:

=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])

• start_date: The date from which you want to begin counting.
• days: The number of workdays you want to add.
• holidays: (Optional) An array or range of dates to exclude as holidays.

Example

If you want to find out what date is 10 workdays from today, you would use:

=WORKDAY(TODAY(), 10)

Important Note

<p class="pro-note">Be sure that your "start_date" is formatted correctly as a date in Excel.</p>

2. NETWORKDAYS Function

If you're looking to calculate the number of workdays between two dates while excluding weekends, the NETWORKDAYS function is perfect for you.

The syntax is:

=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])

Example

To find out how many workdays are between January 1, 2023, and January 31, 2023, you can use:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-01-01", "2023-01-31")

Important Note

<p class="pro-note">You can also specify holidays to exclude from your calculation.</p>

3. Conditional Formatting for Weekends

Sometimes, it might be more useful to visually distinguish weekends from weekdays. You can achieve this with conditional formatting.

Steps

1. Select the range of your date cells.
2. Click on "Conditional Formatting" in the Home tab.
3. Choose "New Rule."
4. Select "Use a formula to determine which cells to format."
5. Enter the formula: =WEEKDAY(A1, 2)>5 (Assuming A1 is the first cell).
6. Choose your formatting options (like fill color).

This highlights all Saturday and Sunday dates in your selected range.

Important Note

<p class="pro-note">Make sure to adjust the cell reference in the formula according to your range.</p>

4. Using IF Statement to Exclude Weekends

You can also create a formula that checks if a date falls on a weekend, using the IF statement.

Example

=IF(WEEKDAY(A1, 2)>5, "Weekend", "Weekday")

This will display "Weekend" if the date in A1 is a Saturday or Sunday, and "Weekday" otherwise.

Important Note

<p class="pro-note">Change A1 to reference the actual cell you’re checking.</p>

5. Custom Date Filters

If you’re managing a large dataset, creating a custom filter to exclude weekends can be very effective.

Steps

1. Click on your date column header.
2. Go to the Data tab and select "Filter."
3. Click the filter dropdown in the date column.
4. Choose "Date Filters" > "Custom Filter."
5. Set your conditions to exclude weekends.

This method allows for more granular control over which dates appear in your data view.

Important Note

<p class="pro-note">Ensure your data column is formatted as a date to avoid filtering issues.</p>

6. Data Validation for Entry Restrictions

If you want to restrict user input to weekdays only, you can use data validation.

Steps

1. Select the range where you want to apply the restriction.
2. Go to the Data tab and select "Data Validation."
3. Under "Allow," choose "Custom."
4. Enter the formula: =WEEKDAY(A1, 2)<6
5. Set an appropriate message for the input.

This will only allow users to enter dates that are weekdays.

Important Note

<p class="pro-note">Replace A1 with the first cell in your selected range.</p>

7. VBA Code for Advanced Users

If you’re comfortable with a bit of programming, a simple VBA macro can skip weekends in a more customized manner.

Example Code

Sub SkipWeekends()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")
    Dim startDate As Date
    Dim daysToAdd As Integer
    startDate = ws.Range("A1").Value
    daysToAdd = 10
    ws.Range("B1").Value = Application.WorksheetFunction.WorkDay(startDate, daysToAdd)
End Sub

This macro takes a date from cell A1 and adds ten workdays to it, placing the result in cell B1.

Important Note

<p class="pro-note">Make sure to enable macros in your Excel settings for this to work!</p>

<div class="faq-section"> <div class="faq-container"> <h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2> <div class="faq-item"> <div class="faq-question"> <h3>How do I automatically skip weekends in Excel?</h3> <span class="faq-toggle">+</span> </div> <div class="faq-answer"> <p>You can use functions like WORKDAY or NETWORKDAYS to automatically skip weekends when performing date calculations.</p> </div> </div> <div class="faq-item"> <div class="faq-question"> <h3>What if my weekends are not Saturday and Sunday?</h3> <span class="faq-toggle">+</span> </div> <div class="faq-answer"> <p>You can modify the formulas using custom conditions in Excel to account for different weekend days.</p> </div> </div> <div class="faq-item"> <div class="faq-question"> <h3>Can I include holidays in my calculations?</h3> <span class="faq-toggle">+</span> </div> <div class="faq-answer"> <p>Yes, both the WORKDAY and NETWORKDAYS functions allow you to specify an additional range for holidays to exclude from your calculations.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

To wrap things up, managing dates in Excel doesn't have to be a daunting task. By employing these seven techniques, you can ensure your spreadsheets skip weekends and focus solely on the workdays. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t hesitate to apply these methods in your projects. And as always, check back here for more tutorials and tips to enhance your Excel skills!

<p class="pro-note">💡Pro Tip: Explore other Excel functions to maximize your spreadsheet efficiency!</p>