Tkinter Date Picker: tkcalendar DateEntry with Examples

The DateEntry widget from the tkcalendar library adds a drop-down date picker to a Tkinter application.

Users can type a date or select one from the calendar. Python can then read the selected date as a datetime.date object, change the selected date, format it, calculate date differences or use it in database queries.

Install tkcalendar 🔝

DateEntry is provided by the external tkcalendar package.

Install it from the command prompt or terminal:

pip install tkcalendar

You can also use:

python -m pip install tkcalendar

Create a DateEntry Date Picker 🔝

Import DateEntry from tkcalendar and add it to the Tkinter window.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "340x220"
)

my_w.title(
    "plus2net.com"
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    selectmode='day'
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=20,
    pady=30
)

my_w.mainloop()

If no year, month or day is specified, DateEntry initially displays the current date.

Set an Initial Date 🔝

A specific starting date can be supplied using year, month and day.

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    selectmode='day',
    year=2026,
    month=9,
    day=5
)

Another option is to create the widget first and then use set_date(), which we cover below.

Read the Selected Date with get_date() 🔝

The get_date() method returns the selected value as a datetime.date object.

This is usually the best method when the selected date will be used in Python date calculations.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "400x200"
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    selectmode='day'
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=20,
    pady=30
)

l1=tk.Label(
    my_w,
    text='Select a date',
    bg='yellow'
)

l1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=2,
    padx=10
)

def my_upd():

    selected_date=cal.get_date()

    l1.config(
        text=str(selected_date)
    )

b1=tk.Button(
    my_w,
    text='Read Date',
    command=my_upd
)

b1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=1
)

my_w.mainloop()

DateEntry get() vs get_date() 🔝

Because DateEntry inherits from ttk.Entry, it also provides the normal Entry get() method.

get()

get() returns the text currently displayed in the DateEntry field.

date_text=cal.get()

print(date_text)

get_date()

get_date() returns a datetime.date object.

selected_date=cal.get_date()

print(selected_date)

Run a Function When a Date Is Selected 🔝

DateEntry generates the virtual event:

<<DateEntrySelected>>

when the user selects a date from the drop-down calendar.

We can bind this event directly to a function.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "400x200"
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    selectmode='day'
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=20,
    pady=30
)

l1=tk.Label(
    my_w,
    bg='yellow',
    width=15
)

l1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=1
)

def my_upd(event):

    l1.config(
        text=str(
            cal.get_date()
        )
    )

cal.bind(
    '<<DateEntrySelected>>',
    my_upd
)

my_w.mainloop()

DateEntry with StringVar 🔝

A DateEntry can also use a Tkinter StringVar through its textvariable option.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "400x200"
)

sel=tk.StringVar(my_w)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    selectmode='day',
    textvariable=sel
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=20,
    pady=30
)

l1=tk.Label(
    my_w,
    bg='yellow',
    width=15
)

l1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=1
)

def my_upd(*args):

    l1.config(
        text=sel.get()
    )

sel.trace_add(
    'write',
    my_upd
)

my_w.mainloop()

The StringVar changes when the DateEntry text changes, so its write trace can run another function.

If you only need to react when the user chooses a date from the calendar, <<DateEntrySelected>> is usually clearer.

Set a Date with set_date() 🔝

Use set_date() to change the selected date from Python code.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry
from datetime import date

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "380x220"
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    selectmode='day'
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=20,
    pady=30
)

selected_date=date(
    2026,
    9,
    5
)

cal.set_date(
    selected_date
)

my_w.mainloop()

Reset DateEntry to Today's Date

from datetime import date

cal.set_date(
    date.today()
)

Using a date object avoids ambiguity caused by locale-specific date strings.

Change the Date Format 🔝

There are two different formatting requirements to consider:

1. the format displayed inside DateEntry;
2. the format produced after reading the date in Python.

Change the DateEntry Display with date_pattern

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    selectmode='day',
    date_pattern='MM-dd-yyyy'
)

The date_pattern option controls how the date is displayed inside DateEntry.

Format get_date() with strftime()

Because get_date() returns a datetime.date, we can use strftime().

dt=cal.get_date()

formatted_date=dt.strftime(
    "%d-%B-%Y"
)

print(
    formatted_date
)

Other common formats are:

dt.strftime(
    "%d-%m-%Y"
)

dt.strftime(
    "%m/%d/%Y"
)

dt.strftime(
    "%Y-%m-%d"
)

The %Y-%m-%d format is commonly useful when preparing dates for database operations.

Limit Selection with mindate and maxdate 🔝

DateEntry supports mindate and maxdate to restrict the dates that can be selected.

For example, allow dates from today through the next 30 days.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry
from datetime import date, timedelta

my_w=tk.Tk()

today=date.today()

last_date=(
    today
    +
    timedelta(
        days=30
    )
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    mindate=today,
    maxdate=last_date,
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=20,
    pady=30
)

my_w.mainloop()

For more examples, see:

Clearing DateEntry Text 🔝

Because DateEntry inherits Entry behavior, its current text can be deleted:

cal.delete(
    0,
    'end'
)

For example:

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "380x220"
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=15,
    pady=30
)

b1=tk.Button(
    my_w,
    text='Clear',
    command=lambda:
        cal.delete(
            0,
            'end'
        )
)

b1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=1
)

my_w.mainloop()

Difference Between Two DateEntry Dates 🔝

Two datetime.date objects can be subtracted directly.

The resulting timedelta object contains the difference in days.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "450x250"
)

cal1=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'
)

cal1.grid(
    row=1,
    column=0,
    padx=10,
    pady=20
)

cal2=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'
)

cal2.grid(
    row=1,
    column=1,
    padx=10
)

l1=tk.Label(
    my_w,
    text='Select two dates',
    bg='yellow',
    font=('Arial', 18)
)

l1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    columnspan=3,
    padx=10,
    pady=20
)

def my_upd():

    diff_days=(
        cal2.get_date()
        -
        cal1.get_date()
    ).days

    l1.config(
        text=f'{diff_days} days'
    )

b1=tk.Button(
    my_w,
    text='Difference',
    command=my_upd
)

b1.grid(
    row=1,
    column=2
)

my_w.mainloop()

Age Calculation with DateEntry 🔝

For an age expressed in years, months and days, we can combine DateEntry with relativedelta().

There is no need to convert the displayed DateEntry text back to a date string. We can read the selected date directly using get_date().

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry
from datetime import date
from dateutil.relativedelta import relativedelta

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "430x220"
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd',
    maxdate=date.today()
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=20,
    pady=30
)

l1=tk.Label(
    my_w,
    text='Select date of birth',
    bg='yellow'
)

l1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=1,
    padx=10
)

def calculate_age(event=None):

    dob=cal.get_date()

    today=date.today()

    age=relativedelta(
        today,
        dob
    )

    l1.config(
        text=(
            f'Years: {age.years}\n'
            f'Months: {age.months}\n'
            f'Days: {age.days}'
        )
    )

cal.bind(
    '<<DateEntrySelected>>',
    calculate_age
)

calculate_age()

my_w.mainloop()

The maxdate option prevents a future date from being selected as the date of birth.

Combine DateEntry with Time 🔝

DateEntry selects a date. To collect hours, minutes and seconds, we can use Tkinter Scale widgets.

The selected date and time can then be joined with datetime.combine().

from datetime import datetime, time
import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    "450x300"
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'
)

cal.grid(
    row=1,
    column=0,
    padx=10,
    sticky='N'
)

hr=tk.Scale(
    my_w,
    from_=0,
    to=23,
    orient='vertical',
    length=150
)

hr.grid(
    row=1,
    column=1
)

mn=tk.Scale(
    my_w,
    from_=0,
    to=59,
    orient='vertical',
    length=150
)

mn.grid(
    row=1,
    column=2
)

sc=tk.Scale(
    my_w,
    from_=0,
    to=59,
    orient='vertical',
    length=150
)

sc.grid(
    row=1,
    column=3
)

l1=tk.Label(
    my_w,
    bg='yellow',
    font=('Arial', 16)
)

l1.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    columnspan=4,
    padx=10,
    pady=20
)

def my_upd(*args):

    selected_time=time(
        hour=hr.get(),
        minute=mn.get(),
        second=sc.get()
    )

    selected_datetime=datetime.combine(
        cal.get_date(),
        selected_time
    )

    formatted=selected_datetime.strftime(
        "%d-%b-%Y %H:%M:%S"
    )

    l1.config(
        text=formatted
    )

cal.bind(
    '<<DateEntrySelected>>',
    my_upd
)

hr.config(
    command=my_upd
)

mn.config(
    command=my_upd
)

sc.config(
    command=my_upd
)

my_upd()

my_w.mainloop()

Highlight a Date Range in a Calendar 🔝

Two DateEntry widgets can collect the start and end dates of a range.

A separate tkcalendar Calendar widget can then highlight every date in that range.

The calevent_create() and tag_config() methods belong to the Calendar widget used for displaying the highlighted dates.

import tkinter as tk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry, Calendar
from datetime import timedelta

root=tk.Tk()

root.geometry(
    '430x450'
)

root.title(
    'Date Range Selector'
)

start_entry=DateEntry(
    root,
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'
)

start_entry.grid(
    row=0,
    column=1,
    padx=10,
    pady=10
)

tk.Label(
    root,
    text='Start Date:'
).grid(
    row=0,
    column=0
)

end_entry=DateEntry(
    root,
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'
)

end_entry.grid(
    row=1,
    column=1,
    padx=10,
    pady=10
)

tk.Label(
    root,
    text='End Date:'
).grid(
    row=1,
    column=0
)

cal=Calendar(
    root,
    selectmode='none'
)

cal.grid(
    row=2,
    column=0,
    columnspan=2,
    padx=10,
    pady=20
)

def update_calendar(event=None):

    start_date=start_entry.get_date()
    end_date=end_entry.get_date()

    if start_date > end_date:

        end_entry.set_date(
            start_date
        )

        end_date=start_date

    cal.calevent_remove(
        'all'
    )

    current_date=start_date

    while current_date <= end_date:

        cal.calevent_create(
            current_date,
            '',
            'highlight'
        )

        current_date += timedelta(
            days=1
        )

    cal.tag_config(
        'highlight',
        background='lightblue',
        foreground='black'
    )

start_entry.bind(
    '<<DateEntrySelected>>',
    update_calendar
)

end_entry.bind(
    '<<DateEntrySelected>>',
    update_calendar
)

update_calendar()

root.mainloop()

Style DateEntry with ttk.Style 🔝

DateEntry inherits from ttk.Entry, so its entry portion can be styled using ttk.Style().

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk
from tkcalendar import DateEntry

my_w=tk.Tk()

my_w.geometry(
    '380x200'
)

style=ttk.Style()

# Uncomment if styling is not visible with the active theme
# style.theme_use('clam')

style.configure(
    'my.DateEntry',
    fieldbackground='lightgreen',
    background='darkgreen',
    foreground='darkblue',
    arrowcolor='white'
)

cal=DateEntry(
    my_w,
    style='my.DateEntry',
    date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'
)

cal.grid(
    row=0,
    column=0,
    padx=30,
    pady=30
)

my_w.mainloop()

Quick Details of the DateEntry Widget 🔝

Class

tkcalendar.DateEntry(master=None, **options)

DateEntry is a date-selection entry with a drop-down calendar and is based on tkinter.ttk.Entry.

Useful Options

Useful Methods

DateEntry Selection Event

<<DateEntrySelected>>

This event is generated when the user selects a date from the drop-down calendar.

Common DateEntry Mistakes 🔝

1. Using get() When a Date Object Is Required

This returns displayed text:

value=cal.get()

For date calculations, use:

value=cal.get_date()

2. Parsing the Displayed Date Again

This is usually unnecessary:

datetime.strptime(
    cal.get(),
    '%m/%d/%y'
)

Instead:

selected_date=cal.get_date()

This also avoids problems when the displayed locale or date_pattern changes.

3. Confusing date_pattern with strftime()

Use date_pattern to control the text displayed by DateEntry:

date_pattern='yyyy-mm-dd'

Use strftime() after obtaining a Python date:

cal.get_date().strftime(
    '%Y-%m-%d'
)

4. Assuming delete() Creates a Permanent Empty Date

DateEntry validates its contents as a date. An empty or invalid value can be restored to the previous valid date when validation occurs.

5. Using tag_config() Directly on DateEntry

Calendar event tags such as tag_config() belong to the underlying or separate Calendar widget. In the date-range example above, a separate Calendar is used for highlighting.

Summary of Tkinter DateEntry 🔝

• DateEntry provides a drop-down date picker for Tkinter.
• Install it using the tkcalendar package.
• get_date() returns the selected value as a datetime.date.
• get() returns the text displayed in the entry field.
• set_date() changes the selected date from Python code.
• <<DateEntrySelected>> can trigger a function when the user selects a date.
• A StringVar can also monitor DateEntry text changes.
• date_pattern controls the DateEntry display format.
• strftime() formats the Python date returned by get_date().
• mindate and maxdate restrict the selectable range.
• Two DateEntry values can be subtracted to calculate a difference in days.
• relativedelta() can calculate age in years, months and days.
• DateEntry can be combined with Scale widgets to collect date and time values.
• DateEntry inherits from ttk.Entry and can be styled with ttk.Style().

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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