# Configure Database Date Format **URL:** \ **Category:** Configuration & Installation\ **Tags:** Specify-7, Members-only\ **Created:** [March 20, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/configure-database-date-format/1109 "2023-03-20T18:54:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grant](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/speciforum.org/grant/32/4255_2.png) [@Grant](https://speciforum.org/u/Grant)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/configure-database-date-format/1109/1 "2023-03-20T18:54:46Z")
> 📖 This guide is about formatting date format in your database using remote preferences. The database date format is determined by the `Remote Prefs` configuration in your database. This determines how Specify exports and handles dates nearly everywhere in both Specify 6 and 7. Date pickers within the application will be based on your browser’s locale (unless you disable ‘User accessible full date picker’ in the Specify 7 preferences. > [!warning] > **[WorkBench](https://speciforum.org/t/the-specify-7-workbench/540)** and **[Batch Edit](https://speciforum.org/t/batch-edit/2248)** data sets **must** conform to the date format specified in the **Remote Preferences** file below. Before changing the date format, please make sure all pending changes and data sets have been uploaded or committed. * * * 1. Go to the **[User Tools](https://speciforum.org/t/user-tools-menu/536)** menu and navigate to [App Resources](https://speciforum.org/t/app-resources-in-specify-7/582) 2. To change the database date format, access the app resources function as an admin user by clicking on the user name at the top of the page. Then under the Global Resources there should be a **Remote Preferences** resource. > [!Tip] > Switching to **yyyy-MM-dd** ensures unambiguous, internationally recognized dates. ---
**Author:** ![fedoras](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/speciforum.org/fedoras/32/455_2.png) [@fedoras](https://speciforum.org/u/fedoras)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 5:45am UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/configure-database-date-format/1109/2 "2023-07-21T05:45:48Z")
Is there a way for the fancy date picker to be disabled on user preference level, as to avoid being overridden by the browser settings? ---
**Author:** ![Grant](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/speciforum.org/grant/32/4255_2.png) [@Grant](https://speciforum.org/u/Grant)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/configure-database-date-format/1109/3 "2023-07-21T14:43:55Z")
Hi @fedoras, You can establish a default user preferences file in the [App Resources](https://speciforum.org/t/app-resources-in-specify-7/582). We have instructions available on how to do this on GitHub: > [@Setting Default User Preferences](https://speciforum.org/t/setting-default-user-preferences/1447): > > In Specify 7.7.0, the [User Preferences](https://speciforum.org/t/user-tools-menu/536#preferences-6) menu was introduced! This menu enables users to customize various preferences such as appearance, behavior, home page, navigation menu, interactions, forms, collection chooser, attachments, tree editor, query builder, record merging, reports and labels, WorkBench, app resources, and GeoMap. Setting custom default preferences for both new and existing users can be a great idea! Defaults can be set for each collection, discipline, or in… You can disable these two options: - Use accessible full date picker - Use accessible month picker This will make it use the Specify default date picker which will be based on the format established in the guide above! ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/specifysoftware/original/2X/c/c4a2ec5215536d1359197a1c34a5ac51868873a2.png) ---
**Author:** ![zoe.warner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/5e9695/32.png) [@zoe.warner](https://speciforum.org/u/zoe.warner)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/configure-database-date-format/1109/4 "2026-01-13T23:14:20Z")
Hi - I feel I’m going slightly crazy. In our ANACC dev instance, the Remote Preferences has a default of MM/dd/yyyy. I edit it to be dd/MM/yyyy, and it seems to stick for that day (even when closing and opening new session), but then I go in the next day, and it’s reverted to MM/dd/yyyy - have I missed something? It seems to stay put in our other instances. ---
**Author:** ![Grant](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/speciforum.org/grant/32/4255_2.png) [@Grant](https://speciforum.org/u/Grant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/configure-database-date-format/1109/5 "2026-01-14T14:52:04Z")
Hi @zoe.warner, Are you logging into Specify 6 at any time? Doing so may override any customizations made in Specify 7. ---
**Author:** ![zoe.warner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/5e9695/32.png) [@zoe.warner](https://speciforum.org/u/zoe.warner)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/configure-database-date-format/1109/6 "2026-01-14T22:14:23Z")
Ah yes. Thanks Grant! - I am logging into Sp 6 to configure reports/labels for ANACC in ireport.