["python","pandas","dataframe","datetime","type-conversion"]
Convert DataFrame column type from string to datetime

How can I convert a DataFrame column of strings (in dd/mm/yyyy format) to datetime dtype?
The easiest way is to use to_datetime: df['col'] = pd.to_datetime(df['col']) It also offers a dayfirst argument for European times (but beware this isn't strict). Here it is in action: In [11]: pd.to_datetime(pd.Series(['05/23/2005'])) Out[11]: 0 2005-05-23 00:00:00 dtype: datetime64[ns] You can pass a specific format: In [12]: pd.to_datetime(pd.Series(['05/23/2005']), format="%m/%d/%Y") Out[12]: 0 2005-05-23 dtype: datetime64[ns]