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Date function

WEEKDAY

Returns the day of the week as a number; 1 is Sunday by default.

Very commonDifficulty 1050 · CapableUsage rank #76 of 520
Practice · 21 questions →

When to use it

The day of the week as a number. Type 1 (default) is Sunday 1 to Saturday 7; type 2 is Monday 1 to Sunday 7, which suits most business logic.

The shape of it

Syntax
=WEEKDAY(serial_number, [return_type])

Worked examples

  • Default numbering

    =WEEKDAY(DATE(2025,3,15)) → 7

    March 15, 2025 is a Saturday.

  • Monday as 1

    =WEEKDAY(DATE(2025,3,15),2) → 6

    Monday-based numbering.

  • Weekend flag

    =WEEKDAY(A1,2)>5 → TRUE

    A weekend test with Monday-based numbering.

Worth knowing

  • Return type 2 makes Monday 1, which is what most reports want.
  • Day name: TEXT(date,"ddd") or "dddd".
  • Next Monday: date+8-WEEKDAY(date,2)... or WORKDAY.INTL with a custom weekend.
  • Type 2 makes weekend tests read naturally (>5).

Where it goes wrong

  • Forgetting the type makes Sunday 1 and breaks >5 weekend tests.
  • Text dates return #VALUE!.

Related

TODAYDATEMONTHYEARNOWDAY

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