# Java Convert a String to a Date Using DateTimeFormatter

> Convert a Java String to a Date using the thread-safe DateTimeFormatter class from java.time, or the older SimpleDateFormat class for pre-Java 8 code

**URL:** https://sentry.io/answers/how-do-i-convert-a-string-to-a-date-in-java/

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## The Problem

You don't know how to convert a `String` to a `Date` in Java.

## The Solution

The recommended way to convert a `String` to a `Date` in Java is to use the [`DateTimeFormatter`](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/25/docs/api/java.base/java/time/format/DateTimeFormatter.html) class from `java.time`. The `DateTimeFormatter` class is thread-safe, making it a better choice for multithreaded environments.

However, `DateTimeFormatter` requires Java version 8 or later. For older Java versions, you can use the [`SimpleDateFormat`](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/25/docs/api/java.base/java/text/SimpleDateFormat.html) class from the `java.text` package.

### Using `DateTimeFormatter`

Here's an example that demonstrates how to convert a `String` to a `LocalDate` using the `DateTimeFormatter` class:

```java
import java.time.LocalDate;
import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String dateString = "2024-10-09";
        DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("yyyy-MM-dd");
        LocalDate date = LocalDate.parse(dateString, formatter);
        System.out.println(date);
    }
}
```

This generates the following output:

```
2024-10-09
```

### Using `SimpleDateFormat`

Here's an example that demonstrates how to convert a `String` to a `Date` using the `SimpleDateFormat` class:

```java
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String dateString = "2024-10-09";
        SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd");

        try {
            Date date = formatter.parse(dateString);
            System.out.println("Converted Date: " + date); 
        } catch (ParseException e) {
            System.out.println("Invalid date format");
        }
    }
}
```

This generates the following output:

```
Converted Date: Mon Oct 09 00:00:00 UTC 2024
```

In this example, `SimpleDateFormat` is used to define the format of the input string (`yyyy-MM-dd`). The `parse()` method attempts to convert the string into a `Date` object. If the input string doesn't match the expected format, a `ParseException` is thrown.

**Note:** The `SimpleDateFormat` class is not thread-safe, so you should avoid sharing instances across multiple threads.

### Choosing a Date Format

The `SimpleDateFormat` and `DateTimeFormatter` classes allow you to define custom date formats, such as:

- `dd/MM/yyyy` for dates like `09/10/2024`
- `MM-dd-yyyy HH:mm:ss` for dates with times, like `10-09-2024 14:00:00`

Ensure the format you provide matches the input string to avoid `ParseException` errors.

The table below provides an overview of the available format pattern symbols for the [`DateTimeFormatter`](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/25/docs/api/java.base/java/time/format/DateTimeFormatter.html) class:

| Symbol | Meaning                    | Presentation | Examples                                       |
|--------|----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------------|
| G      | era                        | text         | AD; Anno Domini; A                             |
| u      | year                       | year         | 2004; 04                                       |
| y      | year-of-era                | year         | 2004; 04                                       |
| D      | day-of-year                | number       | 189                                            |
| M/L    | month-of-year              | number/text  | 7; 07; Jul; July; J                            |
| d      | day-of-month               | number       | 10                                             |
| Q/q    | quarter-of-year            | number/text  | 3; 03; Q3; 3rd quarter                         |
| Y      | week-based-year            | year         | 1996; 96                                       |
| w      | week-of-week-based-year    | number       | 27                                             |
| W      | week-of-month              | number       | 4                                              |
| E      | day-of-week                | text         | Tue; Tuesday; T                                |
| e/c    | localized day-of-week      | number/text  | 2; 02; Tue; Tuesday; T                         |
| F      | week-of-month              | number       | 3                                              |
| a      | am-pm-of-day               | text         | PM                                             |
| h      | clock-hour-of-am-pm (1-12) | number       | 12                                             |
| K      | hour-of-am-pm (0-11)       | number       | 0                                              |
| k      | clock-hour-of-am-pm (1-24) | number       | 0                                              |
| H      | hour-of-day (0-23)         | number       | 0                                              |
| m      | minute-of-hour             | number       | 30                                             |
| s      | second-of-minute           | number       | 55                                             |
| S      | fraction-of-second         | fraction     | 978                                            |
| A      | milli-of-day               | number       | 1234                                           |
| n      | nano-of-second             | number       | 987654321                                      |
| N      | nano-of-day                | number       | 1234000000                                     |
| V      | time-zone ID               | zone-id      | America/Los_Angeles; Z; -08:30                 |
| z      | time-zone name             | zone-name    | Pacific Standard Time; PST                     |
| O      | localized zone-offset      | offset-O     | GMT+8; GMT+08:00; UTC-08:00;                   |
| X      | zone-offset 'Z' for zero   | offset-X     | Z; -08; -0830; -08:30; -083015; -08:30:15;     |
| x      | zone-offset                | offset-x     | +0000; -08; -0830; -08:30; -083015; -08:30:15; |
| Z      | zone-offset                | offset-Z     | +0000; -0800; -08:00;                          |

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*Source: [sentry.io/answers/how-do-i-convert-a-string-to-a-date-in-java/](https://sentry.io/answers/how-do-i-convert-a-string-to-a-date-in-java/)*