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How to Format Dates Correctly in Power Automate Approvals

Guest Writer Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to display start, end, and return-to-work dates in a consistent, readable format within Power Automate approval emails.

How to Format Dates Correctly in Power Automate Approvals

Product: Microsoft Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Configuring an approval flow where date variables extracted from a form or database are inserted into the approval email body.
Observed behavior: Dates appear in raw, inconsistent, or unreadable formats (such as default ISO 8601 timestamps) rather than user-friendly formats in the final email.

Before you start

Verify the exact names of your source date fields and check if the original data is stored in UTC or a local time zone to ensure accurate formatting.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the formatDateTime Expression

Apply Power Automate's built-in formatDateTime function to convert raw timestamps into standardized, readable dates.

Power Automate frequently retrieves dates in an ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2023-10-25T14:30:00Z). By using the Expression builder, you can force these strings into any preferred layout, such as 'MM/dd/yyyy' or 'yyyy-MM-dd'.

Open the Expression Builder

Click inside the text field of your Approval action where the date should appear. In the dynamic content popup menu that appears on the right, click the 'Expression' tab.

Enter the formatting function

Type formatDateTime( into the expression bar. Next, switch back to the 'Dynamic content' tab and select your source date field (e.g., Start Date), which will insert its reference.

Specify the output format

Add a comma after the dynamic content reference, followed by your desired format in single quotes. The final expression should look like: formatDateTime(triggerBody()?['StartDate'], 'MM/dd/yyyy').

Save and test

Click the 'OK' button to insert the expression into your flow. Save the flow and trigger a test run to verify the approval email displays the formatted date correctly.

Time Zone Tip: If your dates are displaying the wrong day due to UTC conversion, use the convertFromUtc() function combined with your format string to adjust it to your local time zone.

Solution 2

Consult the Microsoft Power Automate Community

For highly complex flows, nested expressions, or specific connector issues, seek direct assistance from Microsoft experts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common date format strings used in Power Automate?

Common standard format strings include 'MM/dd/yyyy' (e.g., 10/25/2023), 'yyyy-MM-dd' (e.g., 2023-10-25), and 'dd MMM yyyy' (e.g., 25 Oct 2023). Note that 'MM' must be capitalized for months to differentiate it from 'mm' for minutes.

Why does my formatDateTime expression return an error when the date field is empty?

The formatDateTime function requires a valid string to process. If your form allows empty date fields, the expression will fail. You can prevent this by using a condition check in your flow or using the coalesce() function to provide a fallback value.

How do I fix dates that are showing up as one day behind in approval emails?

This happens when dates are saved in UTC time and then displayed without time zone conversion. You need to use the convertTimeZone() or convertFromUtc() expression to shift the UTC date into your local time zone before formatting it.

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