Data Import & Export

How to Fix SharePoint Date Changing by One Day in Excel Export

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users experience a one-day shift in date fields when exporting data from SharePoint to a spreadsheet or when viewing version history.

Product: SharePoint, Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Exporting list data from SharePoint to Microsoft Excel or checking the document's version history.
Observed behavior: The date displays correctly within the SharePoint interface but incorrectly shifts by exactly one day in the exported Excel workbook.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Admin permissions in SharePoint to view and modify site-level regional settings, and confirm if other users are experiencing the same date discrepancy.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust SharePoint Regional and Time Zone Settings

Mismatched time zones between your local device and the SharePoint site often cause dates to shift by a few hours, pushing them into the previous or next day.

SharePoint stores dates in UTC and converts them to the local time zone specified in the site's regional settings. If your local computer is in a different time zone, exported data may shift by a day.

Access Site Settings

Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner of your SharePoint site and select 'Site information', then 'View all site settings'.

Open Regional Settings

Under the 'Site Administration' section, click on 'Regional settings'.

Match the Time Zone

Check the 'Time Zone' dropdown and ensure it matches the local time zone of the users exporting the data. Click 'OK' to save.

Individual User Settings: Users can also have personal regional settings that override site settings. Have users check their Microsoft 365 profile settings if the site time zone is already correct.

Solution 2

Disable the 1904 Date System in Excel

If Excel is using the legacy 1904 date system, imported dates from standard 1900-system sources like SharePoint will be miscalculated.

Solution 3

Use Export to CSV Instead of Excel

Exporting as a CSV file provides raw text data, which prevents Excel's built-in web query engine from automatically applying unwanted date recalculations.

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Edit SharePoint Data Seamlessly with WPS Office

If you frequently encounter complex date formatting or query errors in Microsoft Excel, consider using WPS Office. It perfectly supports exported CSV and XLSX files without unnecessary automatic data type conversions, giving you a smooth data processing experience.

1. Download WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office for free from the official website.
2. Open Your Exported Data: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and drag-and-drop your exported SharePoint CSV or XLSX file into the workspace to view your data accurately.

Excellent format compatibility with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) and CSV files.Handles plain text and raw data exports predictably without unwanted date shifts.Lightweight, fast to launch, and absolutely free to use.Familiar spreadsheet interface requires zero learning curve.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do SharePoint dates change by one day when exported?

This typically occurs due to a time zone mismatch between the SharePoint server (or site regional settings) and the local computer opening the file. Because SharePoint stores dates in UTC, a time zone difference can shift the time backwards or forwards enough to change the calendar day.

What is the 1904 date system in Excel?

The 1904 date system is an alternative calculation method in Excel that starts counting days from January 1, 1904, instead of January 1, 1900. It was originally created for early Mac compatibility. If checked, it can cause dates imported from SharePoint to display incorrectly by an offset of about 4 years, or shift individual days if mixed with 1900-system data.

Does exporting to CSV fix all SharePoint date formatting issues?

Exporting to CSV often resolves date shifting issues because it exports the data as plain text strings exactly as they appear on the screen in SharePoint, preventing the spreadsheet software from applying automatic time zone or query conversions during the download.

Excel & Data Problems