How to Retrieve the Month Name in Power Apps from the Date

How to Retrieve the Month Name in Power Apps from the Date

Dates are commonly used in Power Apps applications for reporting, scheduling, approvals, dashboards, and business processes. In many scenarios, users need to display the month name instead of the full date.

For example:

01/15/2025

Should display as:

January

Power Apps provides built-in Power Fx functions that allow developers to easily retrieve and display month names from date values.

This article explains how to retrieve month names from dates in Power Apps.

Why Display Month Names?

Month names improve readability and user experience.

Common scenarios include:

• Reports
• Dashboards
• Attendance Tracking
• Leave Management
• Sales Analytics
• Financial Reporting

Examples:

• January
• February
• March

Instead of:

• 01/01/2025
• 02/01/2025
• 03/01/2025

Understanding the Requirement

Suppose a date field contains:

2025-07-15

Required output:

July

Power Apps can retrieve this value dynamically using Power Fx functions.

Solution Overview

• Power Apps
• Power Fx
• Date Fields
• Text Function

Workflow: Date Value → Format Date → Extract Month Name → Display Result

Method 1: Using Text Function

The easiest method is using the Text() function.

Formula:

Text(
    DatePicker1.SelectedDate,
    "mmmm"
)

Result:

July

The format mmmm returns the full month name.

Display Short Month Name

To display abbreviated month names:

Formula:

Text(
    DatePicker1.SelectedDate,
    "mmm"
)

Result:

Jul

This is useful when space is limited.

Working with Dataverse Date Fields

Suppose a Dataverse record contains:

Created On

Formula:

Text(
    ThisItem.'Created On',
    "mmmm"
)

Output:

July

This approach works inside:

• Galleries
• Forms
• Data Tables
• Labels

Real-World Example

Sales Dashboard

A sales application stores opportunity dates.

Users want to view:

• January
• February
• March

Instead of full date values.

Power Apps:

• Reads opportunity date
• Extracts month name
• Displays dashboard summary

Result:

Improved reporting readability.

Using Month Names in Galleries

Example:

Gallery Items: Sales Records

Label Text:

Text(
    ThisItem.OrderDate,
    "mmmm"
)

Each row displays the month name associated with the record.

Localization Support

Power Apps supports localization.

English:

January

French:

Janvier

Spanish:

Enero

Month names automatically adapt based on regional settings when configured properly.

Common Use Cases

Attendance Tracking

Display attendance by month.

Leave Management

Group leave requests by month.

Sales Reporting

Analyze sales performance monthly.

Financial Reporting

Create month-based summaries.

Project Tracking

Display project milestones by month.

Best Practices

Use Text Function

Provides the simplest solution.

Avoid Hardcoded Values

Generate month names dynamically.

Support Localization

Consider multilingual environments.

Reuse Formulas

Store calculated values when necessary.

Test Different Date Formats

Validate output across environments.

Benefits

Improved Readability

Users understand month names immediately.

Better User Experience

Cleaner dashboards and reports.

Dynamic Output

Automatically updates based on selected dates.

Localization Friendly

Supports multiple languages.

Easy Implementation

Requires minimal Power Fx code.

Conclusion

Retrieving month names in Power Apps is straightforward using the Text() function and Power Fx date formatting. Whether displaying data in galleries, dashboards, reports, or forms, month names provide a more user-friendly experience than raw date values.

By leveraging built-in formatting functions, organizations can create cleaner applications, improve reporting, and enhance the overall user experience.