Why Are Dates in Excel Off by Four Years?

Q: When I import data from one Excel workbook to another, why are the dates four years off?

A: Excel operates on two different calendar systems based on the years 1900 or 1904. If you experience the above problem, the two workbooks were set to different calendar systems.

To fix this:

• Click on the Office Button in the top left corner of Excel
• Select Excel Options
• Select Advanced from the menu on the left
  
• Scroll down to the section called When calculating this workbook
• Check or un-check the check box next to Use 1904 date system

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