Thank you for your quick response but actually I am looking for a way to
change the default. I understand how to correct the format but I would
prefer that it went directly to the "mm/dd/yyyy" format. That would allow me
to enter the date in a sort of shorthand rather than needing to include the
year when I type it in.

I have done additional searching and I have a feeling it is a lost cause.
It just seems strange to me that it defaults to the custom "d-mmm" format
when there are formats specifically listed for dates that would show the date
as "mm/dd". that would still not be what I want but at least it would make
more sense for it to default to a "date" format rather than a "custom" format
if it is clear recognizing the data as a date.

Am I being too logical?
"gls858" wrote:

J Fultz wrote:
In Excel 2002, dates entered in a worksheet as "dd/mm" default to a custom
format of "d-mmm". For example, 4/26 shows as 26-Apr in the worksheet cell
even though it is shown as 4/26/2005 in the Formula Bar. I want them to
default to "mm/dd/yyyy". In the Regional settings, the default short date
format is shown as "dd/mm/yyyy".

Any ideas?

right click on the cell select format date Format Cell
select the format format you would like to see. Or change your custom
format to m/d/yyyy.

gls858