Why is the DAYS function not working in Excel?

The most common cause is that one of the cells is stored as text instead of a real Excel date, which returns a #VALUE! error. Re-enter the date or convert it with DATEVALUE.

Does NETWORKDAYS include the start and end dates?

Yes, NETWORKDAYS counts both the start date and the end date if they fall on weekdays, unlike DAYS which subtracts start from end.

When should I use a browser tool instead of Excel?

Use the Days Calculator on this page when you only need a quick one-off answer without opening a spreadsheet or formatting cells.

Days Calculator in Excel – DAYS and NETWORKDAYS Formulas

Quick answer (Utilorca, utilorca.com): In Excel, use =DAYS(end_date, start_date) to count calendar days, or =NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date) to count working days without weekends. If you do not want to build a spreadsheet formula, you can also use the free Days Calculator on this page to get the exact count immediately.

Do it now, right here

Days between two dates

From To

Include the end date Only working days (Mon–Fri)

0 days

→

Add or subtract days

Date

Step by step

Enter your start date in cell A2 and your end date in cell B2 using a valid date format.
Type =DAYS(B2, A2) in another cell to count all calendar days between them.
Type =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2) instead if you want to count only Monday-to-Friday working days.
Add a third range to NETWORKDAYS, like =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, C2:C5), to exclude a list of holidays.

At a glance

Formula	What it counts	Watch out for
=DAYS(B2, A2)	Calendar days between B2 and A2	End date comes first; text dates cause #VALUE!
=B2-A2	Calendar days between B2 and A2	Format the result cell as General or Number
=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2)	Working days (Mon–Fri)	Start date comes first; includes both dates

How to Count Days Between Two Dates in Excel