Date.prototype.toDateString()

The toDateString() method of Date instances returns a string representing the date portion of this date interpreted in the local timezone.

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Syntax

js

toDateString()

Return value

A string representing the date portion of the given date (see description for the format). Returns "Invalid Date" if the date is invalid.

Description

Date instances refer to a specific point in time. toDateString() interprets the date in the local timezone and formats the date part in English. It always uses the following format, separated by spaces:

  1. First three letters of the week day name
  2. First three letters of the month name
  3. Two-digit day of the month, padded on the left a zero if necessary
  4. Four-digit year (at least), padded on the left with zeros if necessary. May have a negative sign

For example: "Thu Jan 01 1970".

  • If you only want to get the time part, use toTimeString().
  • If you want to get both the date and time, use toString().
  • If you want to make the date interpreted as UTC instead of local timezone, use toUTCString().
  • If you want to format the date in a more user-friendly format (e.g. localization), use toLocaleTimeString().

Examples

Using toDateString()

js

const d = new Date(0);

console.log(d.toString()); // "Thu Jan 01 1970 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)"
console.log(d.toDateString()); // "Thu Jan 01 1970"

Specifications

Specification
ECMAScript Language Specification
# sec-date.prototype.todatestring

Browser compatibility

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See also