JavaScript Set Date Methods

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Set Date methods let you set date values (years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds) for a Date Object.

Set Date Methods

Set Date methods are used for setting a part of a date:

Method	Description
setDate()	Set the day as a number (1-31)
setFullYear()	Set the year (yyyy)
setHours()	Set the hour (0-23)
setMilliseconds()	Set the milliseconds (0-999)
setMinutes()	Set the minutes (0-59)
setMonth()	Set the month (0-11)
setSeconds()	Set the seconds (0-59)
setTime()	Set the time (milliseconds since January 1, 1970)

The setFullYear() Method

The setFullYear() method sets the year of a date object. In this example to 2020:

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setFullYear(2020);

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The setFullYear() method can optionally set month and day:

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setFullYear(2020, 11, 3);

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The setMonth() Method

The setMonth() method sets the month of a date object (0-11):

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setMonth(11);

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The setDate() Method

The setDate() method sets the day of a date object (1-31):

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setDate(15);

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The setDate() method can also be used to add days to a date:

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setDate(d.getDate() + 50);

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Note

If adding days shifts the month or year, the changes are handled automatically by the Date object.

The setHours() Method

The setHours() method sets the hours of a date object (0-23):

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setHours(22);

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The setHours() method can also be used to set minutes and seconds.

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setHours(22, 10, 20);

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The setMinutes() Method

The setMinutes() method sets the minutes of a date object (0-59):

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setMinutes(30);

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The setSeconds() Method

The setSeconds() method sets the seconds of a date object (0-59):

Example

const d = new Date("January 01, 2025");
d.setSeconds(30);

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Compare Dates

Dates can easily be compared.

The following example compares today's date with January 14, 2100:

Example

let text = "";
const today = new Date();
const someday = new Date();
someday.setFullYear(2100, 0, 14);

if (someday > today) {
text = "Today is before January 14, 2100.";
} else {
text = "Today is after January 14, 2100.";
}

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