Column Types: Include Date and Time Field Types When Importing Data in Tables

I have an excel file that I am trying to import into a table. My excel has 2 fields, Date and Time, but when I try to import it, I only get the option for Short Text, Long Text, Single Select, Multiple Select, and Number. None of these options work because I need the field in the correct format for the forms we're building. How can I import my date and time fields so that they remain as date and time fields?

Hi Japan_Society,

Thanks for reaching out to Jotform Support. I'll need a bit of time to look into this. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks for your patience, we appreciate it.

Hi Japan_Society,

When importing data into Jotform Tables, you can upload your Excel file and set the first row as column headers. During the import process, you’ll have the option to modify the column types. However, please note that the available column types are limited during import, which means Date and Time fields might not appear directly.

Make sure your Date and Time fields are formatted properly in Excel using standard date and time formats. Let me show you how:

1. In your Excel File, select the Column A and click the CTRL + 1 in your keyboard to open the Format Cells dialog box.
2. Now, in the Category menu, select the Date option and select the Type of Format you preferred and click on the Ok button to apply.
3. After that, highlight the Time Column, right-click on your mouse and select the Format Cells option in the Dropdown Menu.
4. Then, select the Text option under the Category menu and click on the Ok button.

After that, you can now import your Excel File to your Jotform Tables. Let me show you how:

1. Go to your My Workspace dashboard, click on the Downward Arrow icon in the upper left side panel and select the My Tables option in the Dropdown Menu.
2. In My Tables dashboard and click on the Create Table button in the upper left side.
3. Now, select the Import Data option in the Create Table menu.
4. Click on the Upload File button and upload your Excel File from your external device.
5. Toggle on the Set the first row as column headers option in the Choose Tabs to Import section.
6. Then, click on the Import Data button.

Take a look at the screenshot of the result below:

Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Hi Joeni,

Thank you for the information. Yes, I can convert the fields to text and upload it, my problem is when I attach a form to the new table, the imported Date and Time are just text fields, not actual Date and Time fields which is what we need. I have several hundred lines that need to be imported which have multiple date and time fields in them.

Thank you.
Robert Moore

Also, along with the table and the form, we are also creating Calendar view which requires a date field, not a date text field. This is the dilemma that we're having. So even if I add a mask to the date text field as ##/##/####, the Calendar view doesn't give me an option to select that field.

Robert Moore

Hi Robert,

I'll need a bit of time to look into this. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks for your patience, we appreciate it.

Hi Robert,

While the feature you're looking for isn't available at Jotform right now, we've gone ahead and escalated your request to our developers. Exactly when or if it's developed depends on their workload, how viable it is, and how many other users also request it. If there are any updates, we’ll circle back to this thread and let you know.

Currently, we have another way to import data into your form. Just note that for this method, you'll need to create your form first so you can match your Excel columns to the actual form fields during the import process, and so that the data is mapped correctly to the correct field types, for example, dates will go into Date fields, and times into Time fields. Let me show you how:

First, let's create a form that has a date and time field.

1. In Form Builder, click on the Add Element menu on the left side of the page.

2. Under the Basic tab, add a Date Picker and a Time element into your form.

Then, use Import Submissions app to import your data into your form.

3. In Import Submissions app, click on Import Submissions Now.

4. Then, in the pop-up window that appears, click on Allow.

5. Next, select the form where you want to import your data as submissions.

6. Click Continue.

7. In Form Import Data setup page, check how each column in your Excel file should be named to ensure it maps correctly to the corresponding form field during the import process.

8. In Excel, rename each column accordingly, then save the file to apply the changes.

9. Go back to Form Import Data setup page, click Select Source File, and upload your Excel file as the data source.

10. Click Import to start importing the submissions into your form.

Check out the screenshot below showing the table view of the form:

Another important note is that when using this method, it treats imported entries as submissions, so it'll affect your account’s monthly and total submission limits. You can check this guide here to learn more about how to use this feature.

Give it a try and let us know how it goes.



This will work for our situation, not sure why the date field requires h:m:s, that just shows up as "August 22, 2025 00:00:00" on our end when we do the import, which looks weird but will do for now. Was this io app just recently created or did you always have this available to use?

Hi Robert,

The Import app has always been available for use, which is mentioned on our guide about Import Data: Easily Import Your Excel or CSV Data Into Jotform.

Let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with.