How to autofill days of the week in Google Sheets

This guide will show you everything you need to know about the Google Sheets WEEKDAY function. Read on to master it in as little as 10 minutes.

Table of Contents

WEEKDAY Formula Google Sheets

Before we take a look at the WEEKDAY Google Sheets function, let’s take a look at its formula, which is:

=WEEKDAY(date, type)

The Google Sheet WEEKDAY function only requires one parameter to work. The optional one allows you to do more with the function. The parameters are:

• date: this is the date you wish to get the Google Sheets day of week from. This can be a date, or it can be the address of a cell containing the date. It can also be another function that returns data in numerical or date format.
• type: this optional parameter indicates the numbering system used to represent the sheet’s start day of the week. The parameter is 1 by default. This parameter can have one of the three values. These are
  • 1 – when the type parameter is 1, the days start from Sunday, meaning the value for Sunday is 1, Monday is 2, and so on. The value for Saturday will be 7 if this parameter is used.
  • 2 – when the type parameter is 2, the days start from Monday, meaning the value for Monday is 1, Tuesday is 2, and so on. The value for Sunday will be 7 if this parameter is used.
  • 3 – when the type parameter is 3, the days start from Monday, but the value for Monday in this type is 0, Tuesday is 1, and so on. The value for Sunday will be 6 if this parameter is used.

You should know a few things about the Google Sheets day of week function. These are:

1. The WEEKDAY function in Google Sheets will return the day of the week in numerical form, not letters or words. If you wish to get the WEEKDAY as text, then you can use the TEXT formula or number formatting.
2. The WEEKDAY function Google Sheets will not convert numerical formats into dates automatically. For example, if you input the formula as =WEEKDAY(1/1/2000), then it will be interpreted by Google Sheets as =WEEKDAY(0.0005). So you have to use quotation marks around the date like so:
   =WEEKDAY(“1/1/2000”)

Related: Google Sheets Date Picker – An Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Google Sheets WEEKDAY Example

Now that we understand the basic formula for Google Sheets to get the day of the week from a date, let’s look at the formula in action.

Google Sheets Day of Week From Date

Here is one of the most basic use cases of the Google Sheets day of the week function. To use it:

1. Enter the initial part of the formula, which is =WEEKDAY(
2. Now, we are going to add the date parameter. You can do this in multiple ways. If you wish to write the date directly, write it in quotation marks like “mm/dd/yyyy”. You can also add a cell address as the parameter, as done in the example image.
3. You can add the type parameter after a comma symbol if you wish to. In the example image, we have demonstrated all three values for the parameter.
4. Once you’re done adding the parameters, add a closing bracket and press Enter to execute the formula.

Google Sheets Display Day of Week String

You can use the WEEKDAY function to display the number of days of the week. However, simply looking at a number can be confusing, so you can display the day’s name by nesting the WEEKDAY function into the CHOOSE function.

Here is how to do this:

1. Enter the initial part of the formula, which is =CHOOSE(
2. As we nest the WEEKDAY function into CHOOSE, enter the initial part of the CHOOSE formula, which is WEEKDAY(.
3. Now, add the parameters for the WEEKDAY function: date and type.
4. Close the nested WEEKDAY function using a closing bracket.
5. Add a comma sign to separate the parameters.
6. Now, add the names of the days in the second parameter for the CHOOSE function. Make sure the names are in order and correspond to the type parameter in the WEEKDAY function.
7. Add a closing bracket after they are added, and press Enter to execute the formula.

Related: Free Easy-to-Use Timesheet Template for Google Sheets

When You Shouldn’t Use the Day of Week Google Sheets Function

There are some occasions where you should look to use functions other than WEEKDAY. This function will only return the weekday as a number meaning that this function can not be used to calculate the weekday name unless you nest the function.  The WEEKDAY function can not be used to compare dates to check if they fall on the same weekday. For example, it may make it harder to calculate days between dates. Thankfully, Google Sheets has similar formulas that you can use to return the day of the week. These functions include DAY, DATE, TODAY, and even NOW, which can tell you the current time in Google Sheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Autofill Days of the Week in Google Sheets?

To autofill the days of the week in your spreadsheet, use the WEEKDAY function to display the number corresponding to the date. You can use the number formatting of the CHOOSE function to show the names of the days that correspond to the specific days. Once the formula is executed, use the autofill handle towards the bottom of the cell to fill the formula in the cells. After dragging and letting go of the fill handle, the formula and formatting will be automatically applied and executed in the cells.

How Do You Find the Day of the Week for Any Date?

You can use the Google Sheets WEEKDAY function to find the day of the week for a specific date. The syntax for the WEEKDAY formula is WEEKDAY(date, type), where the date is the cell address or the date you wish to get the day of the week from. The type parameter determines the number used for the starting day of the week.

Wrapping Up

The Google Sheets WEEKDAY function is pretty straight forward to use, but to make it more readable, make sure you nest it inside the CHOOSE function like the example above. If you found this guide useful, you may also like some of our related content below.

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Chris Daniel

Chris is a spreadsheet expert and content writer. He has a double Bachelor's Degree in Teaching and has been working in the education industry for over 11 years. His experience makes him adept at breaking down complex topics so that everyone is able to understand.

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