How to Change Date Format in Sage Online

Why Changing the Date Format Matters

When you use Sage accounting software,  especially a cloud or online edition,   the format in which dates appear (for example, day/month/year vs. month/day/year vs. year-month-day) has a real impact on your business documents, reporting, and bookkeeping clarity. A format that mismatches your region or team’s expectations can lead to misinterpreting dates, making errors when filtering transactions, confusing clients or auditors, or just creating everyday friction. So aligning Sage’s date format to what your business uses is not just cosmetic: it promotes clarity, consistency, and fewer mistakes.

Because Sage is used by businesses across many countries, and because the cloud versions can be accessed from many devices and users, you’ll want to ensure the date format is set consistently for everyone.  In many cases, the date format in Sage is determined by the region or language settings within your Sage account or user profile, or by the default format your browser or operating system provides. Therefore the process typically involves two parts: adjusting Sage’s built-in region/language or date settings and ensuring your browser/computer locale matches that setting.

Step 1: Sign in to Your Sage Online Account

Start by signing in to your Sage online or cloud edition. Use your user credentials, choose the correct company file or business entity you want to modify, and ensure you have administrative or appropriate permissions to make system-wide settings changes rather than just personal profile settings.

Once you’re logged in, navigate to the section of Sage where you manage company or global settings. This might appear as “Business settings”, “Company settings”, “Administrative settings”, or similar depending on your edition and region.

Step 2: Access the Company or Business Settings

Within Sage, locate the area where global business preferences are set. This will include things like business name, address, currency, time zone, and frequently a region or format for dates and times. In some cloud versions there may be a menu labelled “Business Settings” or “Company Preferences.” You may also find this under “Settings” or “Global Settings.”

Open that section and look for a subsection labelled something like Date format, Regional settings, Locale, Language, or Time & Date preferences.

Because the exact naming can vary by edition and region, the key is to find where your company’s default date style is defined.

Step 3: Locate the Date Format Option

Inside the settings you opened, look for the option that addresses date format. Some versions allow you to choose from a list of formats (for example: DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.). Others allow you to choose the date display format for screen, forms or reports. In cloud editions, you may also see a setting for time format or number formatting, since date format often sits alongside them.

If your edition shows separate options for “Short date” and “Long date” formats (short date being a compact version used on lists, long date used for printed or detailed forms), choose the one you want. For example, you may prefer day/month/year everywhere, or year-month-day for exports.

Some users report that Sage Business Cloud Accounting ties the date format to the language setting rather than offering a distinct “choose format” drop-down. For example, if you choose English (United States) as the language, you’ll get MM/DD/YYYY; choosing English (United Kingdom) may give DD/MM/YYYY. Therefore, if your edition does not show a direct date-format field, check the language or region setting and change that to one that uses the desired format. (One user posted: “In this article, you will learn whether you can change the date format in Sage Business Cloud Accounting … date format is tied to language?”).

Step 4: Edit the Date Format or Language/Locale Setting

Once you’ve found the date format or locale setting:

• If you are offered a drop-down list of date formats, pick the one you want. For example, select DD/MM/YYYY if you want day first, or select YYYY-MM-DD if you prefer an ISO style.
• If instead the date format is determined by language/locale, choose the language/region that uses your preferred date style. For example, choose English (United Kingdom) if you want day/month/year, rather than English (United States).
• After making your selection, save or apply the change. It’s often labelled “Save”, “Apply”, or “OK”.

At this point Sage will update how dates are shown on screen, in lists, and in forms for that company file. Ensure you and other users know this change has been made.

Step 5: Notify Users and Ensure Browser/Device Locale Matches

Because Sage’s cloud version is accessed through a browser and possibly on multiple devices, it’s important to ensure that all users access Sage with their browsers or devices configured consistently. If a user has their browser or OS region set differently (for example United States vs United Kingdom), the date format displayed may still vary or revert to a default that mismatches your company setting.

Ask users to check their browser’s language or regional settings: for example, in Chrome, go to Settings → Languages → and ensure the correct language/region is set as default. If necessary, add the language/region you want and make it the default. After that, clear browser cache and reload Sage.

Similarly, if users access Sage on mobile or tablet, check that their device region/locale settings align with the company’s date format. Inconsistencies between company-level settings in Sage and device/browser regional settings are common sources of display issues.

Step 6: Refresh, Log Out and Back In, and Test the Change

After saving your changes and ensuring user devices are aligned, it is good practice to log out of Sage and log back in, and ask other key users to do the same. This forces Sage to reload the settings and ensures the new date format is applied.

Once logged back in, pick several places to check how dates appear:

• On your dashboard, look at any recent transactions or activities and verify the date format.
• Go to a sales invoice, bill, or purchase entry screen and check how the date field is formatted.
• Navigate to a list of transactions (sales or purchases) and view the date column: check that the dates are shown in your preferred format.
• Open a typical report (for example Profit & Loss or Aged Debt) and examine the date filters and headings: verify the dates are correct.
• If your company prints or exports documents (invoices, statements or reports), preview one to ensure the printed/extracted date format matches your preference.

If everything aligns, then the change has been successful across the system.

Step 7: Consider Data Exports and Templates

Often, companies export data from Sage to Excel, PDF or other formats. Even though you’ve set your date format inside Sage, you should test exported files because sometimes the exported date format is influenced by the user’s browser or OS locale rather than just Sage. If you find exported files show a different format, you may need to adjust your system or browser locale further, or set up a custom template inside Sage.

Some companies also create custom document layouts (invoices, statements) within Sage; after changing the date format, you should check these templates to ensure the date field on the layout is updating correctly rather than being hard-coded. If you see old formatting inside a document template, open the template editor, remove the date placeholder and reinsert the correct date field, then save the layout.

Step 8: Multi-User and Multi-Company Environment Considerations

If your business uses Sage with multiple users or multiple company files (for example one for UK operations and one for US operations), you’ll need to ensure each company file has its correct date format and that each user’s device/browser aligns with that company’s preferences.

In multi-user setups, users might access several company files from one login. If one company uses DD/MM/YYYY and another uses MM/DD/YYYY, then users will see format inconsistencies if their browser/locale is set differently. To avoid confusion, consider standardizing your date format across companies or create and document clear instructions for users about which format is in use for each company.

Step 9: Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are some frequent issues and how to fix them:

Issue: Dates still display in US format (MM/DD/YYYY) even after you changed the company setting.
Solution: Check user browser or device locale settings. Ensure they match the region/language you set in Sage. Clear cache and reload.

Issue: Some users print or export reports and see the wrong format.
Solution: Verify the user’s system regional settings. Also, if using custom templates, ensure they incorporate the system date field rather than a hard-coded date format.

Issue: Date format looks correct on some screens but not others.
Solution: Check that the particular screen or layout is using the system default and isn’t using a legacy custom form with embedded date formatting. Edit the template if necessary.

Issue: You cannot find a date-format field in your Sage edition.
Solution: In some cloud editions, date format is tied to the language/region setting rather than a specific format selection. Change the language/region to one that uses the format you want and then test again. Also review Sage’s help documentation or community forums for your specific version.

Step 10: Why This Change Is Important for Your Business

Setting the correct date format is more than fixing aesthetics. It matters because:

• It prevents misinterpretation of dates (for example “03/07/2025” being read as March 7 or July 3).
• It ensures clarity when filtering transactions by date or performing date-based reporting.
• It helps maintain consistency in communications with clients, vendors or auditors who may be in different regions.
• It reduces errors in exported data and supports accurate data migration or integration with other systems.
• It ensures that documents you produce (invoices, statements, reports) appear professional and conform to local business norms.

By taking the time to align your date format properly, you save ongoing confusion and ensure your bookkeeping and reporting flows smoothly regardless of user or location.

Step 11: Maintaining the Correct Format Over Time

After setting your date format, you’ll want to make sure it stays correct. Keep these habits:

• Whenever you add new users to Sage, ensure their device/browser locale aligns with your company’s date format.
• After system updates or browser updates, check that the date format still displays correctly in Sage.
• If you change language or region settings for other purposes (for example currency or tax localisation), verify that the date format remains correct.
• Document the date format your business uses (for example “We use DD/MM/YYYY for all dates in Sage”) so users are aware.
• Periodically check prints, exports and reports to confirm no unexpected format changes.

These simple checks help you avoid drifting out of alignment and reduce the risk of date-format mix-ups later.

Though changing the date format in Sage online may feel like a minor tweak, it has significant benefits in terms of clarity, consistency and avoiding errors in your business accounting. Whether your team is local or spread across regions, taking control of the date format ensures everyone is seeing the same thing and interpreting dates correctly.

Because the date format relies on a combination of company settings and browser/device locale, take the time to adjust both parts: the Big Picture setting in Sage (region/language or date format) and the device/browser settings of your users. Once you set these, test thoroughly across invoices, transactions, lists, reports and exports. Make sure users are aware of the change and update any custom templates if necessary.  With the correct date format in place, you’ll see fewer misunderstandings, clearer documents, and a smoother accounting process. It’s a small configuration step with big payoff,  and once done, it stays quietly working in the background, letting you focus on running your business.