Canvas Power App Form error: The string was not recognized as valid DateTime !

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Posted on by HU-13011540-0

Has anyone experienced a similar issue?

I’ve built a form using Canvas that feeds directly into my SharePoint list. It works perfectly in North America, but users in other regions (e.g., Egypt, UK) have reported an error when clicking Submit:

Artwork Request Form failed: The string was not recognized as a valid DateTime. There is an unknown word starting at index 1.

I suspect this issue is related to regional date formats (DD/MM/YYYY in the UK/Middle East vs. MM/DD/YYYY in North America) and how the data source (SharePoint) interprets them.

I am using a date picker feeding directly to my SP list (Update function details shown below)

If(
    IsBlank(DatePicker1.SelectedDate),
    Blank(),
    DateAdd(
        Date(
            Year(DatePicker1.SelectedDate),
            Month(DatePicker1.SelectedDate),
            Day(DatePicker1.SelectedDate)
        ),
        -TimeZoneOffset(DatePicker1.SelectedDate),
        TimeUnit.Minutes
    )
)

I can replicate the issue when I change my Time Zone from (Eastern Tim (US & Canada) to somewhere else

Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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BenKraft 176 on at

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I'm curious, does patching with the DatePicker1.SelectedDate directly lead to time zone mismatches? In Dataverse columns, there is the option to match user local or time zone independent, I'm not sure if SharePoint does the same auto-adjusting.

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Kalathiya 2,456 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello @HU-13011540-0,

In your case the problem is the manual date conversion. DatePicker.SelectedDate is already a valid Date/Time value, but rebuilding it and adjusting the timezone can break it for users in other regions.

If your SharePoint column is Date only, you can just use:

DatePicker1.SelectedDate

Form works correctly across different time zones and regions.

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📩 Need more help? Mention@Kalathiya anytime!
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HU-13011540-0 7 on at

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Hi @Kalathiya I have updated 'Update' value of the Data Card from earlier to :

If(
    IsBlank(DatePicker1.SelectedDate),
    DateValue("1900-01-01"),
    DatePicker1.SelectedDate
)

This field is optional, so it doesn’t need to return a value.

I was also able to reproduce the issue by changing my time zone to UTC +2 (Cairo), which is where some users are encountering the problem.

As a workaround, I forced the field to always return a value - even when the date is left blank—by assigning a default value of 1900‑01‑01 when no date is entered.

This approach worked for me in North America (esp. after adjusting my time zone), but users in the affected regions are still experiencing issues. :(

What am I missing?

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WarrenBelz 155,838 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @HU-13011540-0,

Firstly @Kalathiya is on the right track for the main issue, but I think you have another quirk of trying to send Blank() to a Date field. Also a Date Picker may not be truly blank.
If( Value(DatePicker1.SelectedDate) < 1, DatePicker1.SelectedDate, DateAdd( DatePicker1.SelectedDate, -TimeZoneOffset(), TimeUnit.Minutes ) )

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WarrenBelz 155,838 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @HU-13011540-0,

A quick follow-up to see if you received the answer you were looking for. Happy to assist further if not.

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HU-13011540-0 7 on at

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Thank-you guys :
@Kalathiya, @WarrenBelz

its true, I have set the date picker optional , meaning below may not cut - Unless I make it mandatory (and I am seriously considering esp after given so much time to this issue.

DatePicker1.SelectedDate

Power apps is very picky about formulas and Copilot suggests the following :

If( IsBlank(DatePicker1.SelectedDate), Blank(), DatePicker1.SelectedDate )

But I am sure I had problems when i tried to pass blank dates in the past hence my workaround to come up with a bogus date (1900-01-01)

Currently , form submissions work reliably in North America, and earlier issues in the Middle East, UK, China were resolved. However, some users in China and Japan still experience the DateTime error, preventing successful submissions. BIOS and Windows updates were completed, but the issue persists !
In China 2 people in the same office can submit while the 2 other cannot. Japan, no success as of yet !

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WarrenBelz 155,838 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @HU-13011540-0,

The reason I use Value(DatePicker) < 1 is that when a Date Pcker is cleared, it seems that it is not truly blank. If you want to clear a date field, another hack I use is to put a Date Picker on the screen (I call mine dpBlank ) with no DefaultDate and hide it, then patch dpBlank.SelectedDate back to the field you want to clear.

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HU-13011540-0 7 on at

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Thanks WarrenBelz

I have used the snippet you suggested and ask ASIA to re-test since China and Japan are particularly experiencing the problem.
If( Value(DatePicker1.SelectedDate) < 1, DatePicker1.SelectedDate, DateAdd( DatePicker1.SelectedDate, -TimeZoneOffset(), TimeUnit.Minutes ) )

I am trying to consolidate the feedback as we speak but an interesting remark came up. Apparently issue persists if a date picker field is left blank but seems to OK (form submits) if date is selected ! I will have to see if this is consistent ~ Does it make sense ?

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WarrenBelz 155,838 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @HU-13011540-0,

I am not an authority (far fform it) on multi-region compatibility, however I can note that what I posted works fine for me in Australia.

1 people found this reply helpful.

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WarrenBelz 155,838 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @HU-13011540-0,

A quick follow-up to see if you received the answer you were looking for. Happy to assist further if not.

Please ✅ Does this answer your question if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider answering Yes to Was this reply helpful? or give it a Like ♥
Visit my blog Practical Power Apps LinkedIn

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