What WEEKDAY does
WEEKDAY takes a date and tells you which day of the week it belongs to. The result is numeric, which makes it easy to use in rules, schedules, and logic tests.
Practical examples
Return a weekday number
=WEEKDAY(A2)
By default, Excel numbers Sunday as 1 and Saturday as 7.
Start the week on Monday
=WEEKDAY(A2,2)
With return type 2, Monday becomes 1 and Sunday becomes 7.
Common mistakes and notes
WEEKDAY returns numbers, not names
If you want labels like Monday or Tuesday, combine the result with custom logic or use formatting/text techniques.
Wrong return type changes the meaning
Always check which numbering system your workbook expects before using weekday numbers in formulas.