What does formatDate do in Make?
formatDate converts a date value into text using format tokens, so you control how the date looks in a filter, a sheet or an email.
Make separates function arguments with a semicolon, not a comma. That is the most common reason a pasted formula from another tool does nothing.
Which format tokens should I know?
These tokens cover almost every office use. They follow the Moment.js style Make uses.
| Token | Gives | Example output |
|---|---|---|
YYYY | Four-digit year | 2026 |
MM / M | Month, padded / not padded | 10 / 10 |
MMMM / MMM | Month name, full / short | October / Oct |
DD / D | Day of the month | 05 / 5 |
dddd / ddd | Weekday | Tuesday / Tue |
HH / hh | Hour, 24h / 12h | 17 / 05 |
mm | Minutes | 30 |
A | AM or PM | PM |
Ten date expressions you can copy
| What you need | Expression |
|---|---|
| Today, for a sheet filter | {{formatDate(now; "YYYY-MM-DD")}} |
| Today, for an email subject | {{formatDate(now; "dddd, MMMM D")}} |
| A timestamp column | {{formatDate(now; "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm")}} |
| Tomorrow | {{formatDate(addDays(now; 1); "YYYY-MM-DD")}} |
| Seven days ago | {{formatDate(addDays(now; -7); "YYYY-MM-DD")}} |
| A due date 30 days out | {{formatDate(addDays(now; 30); "MMM D, YYYY")}} |
| A form date in US format | {{formatDate(1.Date; "MM/DD/YYYY")}} |
| Read "10/20/2026" text as a date | {{parseDate(1.Date; "MM/DD/YYYY")}} |
| A specific time zone | {{formatDate(now; "HH:mm"; "America/New_York")}} |
| Start of this month | {{formatDate(now; "YYYY-MM-01")}} |
Replace 1.Date with the field you map from your own module. In the mapping panel it appears as a pill, not typed text.
How does the daily summary lesson use it?
The Google Sheets: Search Rows module filters the "New patient requests" sheet with Date (E), Text operators: Equal to, and the value {{formatDate(now; "YYYY-MM-DD")}}.
It is a text comparison on purpose. The sheet's Date column holds text like 2026-10-20, and formatDate makes today look the same, so the two match exactly. A Text aggregator then joins the matching rows into one block, and Gmail: Send an email sends it to the manager at 17:00. Make Text Aggregator Examples covers that middle step.
Try it free, step by step
On a Schedule: A Daily Summary Email from a Google Sheet in Make.com. Build a Make scenario that runs every day at 5 PM, finds today's rows in Google Sheets, combines them with a Text aggregator and emails one summary with Gmail. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Make, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Start the free lessonWhy is my Make date off by a day?
Almost always the time zone. now is formatted in the time zone set in your Make profile (or the organization's), not necessarily yours.
- Check the Time zone shown under the schedule's Time 1 field. The lesson asks you to check it before you click Save.
- Pass a time zone as the third argument to formatDate when the output must be in a specific zone.
- A scenario that runs at 23:30 in one zone may already be "tomorrow" in another. Schedule summary emails well inside the business day.
How is this different from n8n?
n8n uses JavaScript-style expressions with Luxon, like {{ $now.toFormat('yyyy-MM-dd') }}, and lowercase yyyy. Make uses its own functions with uppercase YYYY and semicolons. n8n Expressions for Beginners covers the n8n side.
Key takeaways
{{formatDate(now; "YYYY-MM-DD")}}is the go-to "today" value for sheet filters in Make.- Make functions use semicolons between arguments.
- addDays, parseDate and a third time-zone argument handle most date chores.
- Wrong-day results are nearly always a time zone setting, not the formula.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I get today's date in Make?
Use now for the current date and time, and wrap it in formatDate to choose the format: {{formatDate(now; "YYYY-MM-DD")}}.
- How do I add days to a date in Make?
Use addDays(date; number). addDays(now; 7) is a week from now, and a negative number goes back in time.
- Why does my formatDate show the wrong time?
formatDate uses the time zone from your Make settings unless you pass one as the third argument, like formatDate(now; "HH:mm"; "America/Chicago").
- Is there a free Make course?
Yes. Make & Zapier Jump Start is free and includes the daily summary scenario in a practice copy of Make.
