A single date picker covers most scheduling forms — but rental bookings, leave requests, and event registrations need something different. Either users need to pick a continuous span of dates, or they need to select several non-consecutive days in one go.
Everest Forms handles both with the same Date / Time field. A date range picker lets users click a start date and an end date in one interaction. A multiple date selector lets them pick any number of individual days from the calendar.
This guide covers setup for both, including date restrictions and how to control which dates are available.
Need a single date or time picker instead? See How to Create a WordPress Form with Date / Time Picker →
Date Range vs Multiple Dates: Which One Do You Need?
These two modes look similar but serve different use cases. Pick the wrong one and your form will confuse users.
Date Range — the user selects a start date and an end date. The selection is continuous: everything between those two dates is included. Use this when duration matters.
| Use this for | Examples |
|---|---|
| Rental bookings | Equipment hire, holiday lets, co-working spaces |
| Leave requests | Employee time-off forms, absence requests |
| Event registrations with a fixed duration | Multi-day conferences, retreats, residencies |
| Availability windows | Service providers indicating when they’re free |
Multiple Dates — the user selects any number of individual dates. The selections are non-consecutive: each date stands alone. Use this when separate sessions matter, not a span.
| Use this for | Examples |
|---|---|
| Workshop or class sign-ups | Choose which sessions to attend |
| Recurring appointment preferences | Select all available days for scheduling |
| Event with non-consecutive dates | A course running Monday/Wednesday/Friday |
| Staff availability | Indicate available days across a month |
If you’re unsure: ask whether the form cares about the days between the selected dates. If yes, use Range. If no, use Multiple.
At a Glance
| Plugin needed | Everest Forms (free) |
| Field | Date / Time — Advanced Fields |
| Date Range mode | Select start + end date in one interaction |
| Multiple Dates mode | Select any number of individual dates |
| Date restrictions | Disable specific dates, set min/max range, custom dynamic limits |
| Code required | None |
How to Add a Date Range and Multiple Dates?
For this to work, we’ll use the Everest Forms plugin—a form builder capable of meeting any need or requirement!
Step 1: Install Everest Forms
The first step is pretty simple. You’ve to install the Everest Forms plugin. You can do so from your WordPress dashboard by going to Plugins >> Add New Plugin.
Then, search for Everest Forms on this search bar. Install and activate it from there.
You may also install the plugin if you have a zip file.
Get the zip from everestforms.net.
Then go to Upload Plugin, select your zip file, and install it.
Step 2: Create a Form
We’ll need a form to add the date, won’t we? Go to Everest Forms >> Add New.
You can create a blank form or use a pre-designed template. We’ll use a blank form since we’re just showing you how to add date range and multiple dates.
It’s as simple as that!
Step 3: Add a Date / Time Field
Upon creating the form, you’ll enter a form-building interface. You’ll find available fields to add to your form on the left side. The right side is where you’ll add fields and arrange them in order.
Search for a Date/Time field. It’s right on the Advanced Fields group. Drag the field to the form canvas.
Click the field to open its settings in the left panel.
Under Format, select Date. Date range and multiple date selection both require the Date Picker style — not Date Dropdown. Under Style, confirm Picker is selected.
On the form, users see a standard calendar. Clicking the first date sets the start. Clicking the second date sets the end. The entire span highlights between the two selections.
Both the start date and end date are captured in the form submission and appear in your Entries dashboard.
Restricting Available Dates in Range Mode
Three controls in Advanced Options let you limit which dates users can select within the range.
Disable Dates — block specific calendar dates from selection entirely. Click the Disable Dates field, navigate to the relevant month, and click the dates to disable. Disabled dates appear greyed out and cannot be selected as either a start or end point.
Enable Min Max Date — set the earliest date and the latest date available for selection. For a rental form, set minimum to today (nothing in the past) and maximum to six months ahead (no bookings too far in advance).
Enable Custom Input — set dynamic boundaries using relative values rather than fixed dates. Setting minimum to “today” means the earliest selectable date always moves forward with the calendar. Setting maximum to “+14 days” limits the booking window to a rolling two-week period.
These three controls work in combination. A rental form might disable specific maintenance days, set a minimum of tomorrow, and cap bookings at 30 days ahead — all configured in the same Advanced Options panel.
Step 5: Set Up Multiple Dates Mode
To switch from Range to Multiple, return to Date Mode in Advanced Options and select Multiple.
Users see the same calendar interface. Each date they click highlights individually — there’s no span between selections, just individual highlighted days.
Users click as many dates as they need. Clicking a highlighted date deselects it. All selected dates are captured together in the submission.
The same date restriction controls — Disable Dates, Min Max Date, and Custom Input — apply to Multiple mode. If you’re running a class sign-up and certain sessions are full, disable those dates so users can only select available ones.
A Note on Switching Between Modes
You can only have one Date Mode active per Date / Time field. If your form needs both a date range and multiple date selection — for example, a rental form where the customer can also indicate preferred delivery dates — add two separate Date / Time fields and label them clearly.
Step 3: Configure the Form Settings
You’ve successfully created a WordPress form with a date time picker calendar, but it’s incomplete unless you configure the necessary form settings. So, below we’ll talk briefly about the general form configuration and email settings.
General Form Settings
To configure the general form setting options, navigate to Settings >> General. Your form name and description can be edited from here.
You can also enter the form disable message and successful form message.
Confirmation Settings
Under the Confirmation setting, you can choose what happens after a successful form submission.
You can choose to display a custom successful message or redirect them to a page or URL of your choice.
Email Notifications
Go to Settings >> Email. Set up an admin notification so you receive each submission, and a user notification to confirm the booking to the person who submitted.
You can also setup an email notification for users as a confirmation of the submission.
Use the {all_fields} smart tag in the email body to include all submitted values automatically — including the selected date range or multiple dates.
For rental or leave request forms, consider adding the date field value to the email subject line so each submission is identifiable at a glance in your inbox.
Step 8: Add the Form to Your Site
Go to Posts >> Add New or open any page. Click Add Block (+), search for Everest Forms, select the block, and choose your form from the dropdown.
Alternatively, copy the shortcode from Everest Forms >> All Forms and paste it into any page or post.
Hit Publish.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a date range picker to a WordPress form? Add a Date / Time field in Everest Forms, set Style to Picker, then scroll to Advanced Options and set Date Mode to Range. Users click a start date and an end date — both values are captured in the submission. Available in the free version, no add-on required.
How do I let users select multiple dates in a WordPress form? Set Date Mode to Multiple in the Date / Time field’s Advanced Options. Users click each date they want to select. All selected dates are recorded together in the submission. Same field, different mode.
Can I disable specific dates so users can’t select them? Yes. Use the Disable Dates option in Advanced Options. Navigate to the relevant month in the calendar and click the dates to block. Disabled dates appear greyed out on the form and cannot be selected.
Can I set a minimum or maximum date for selection? Yes. Enable Min Max Date in Advanced Options to set fixed boundaries. Use Enable Custom Input for dynamic limits — “today” as minimum so users can’t select past dates, or “+30 days” as maximum to cap the booking window.
Does Gravity Forms support date range selection? Gravity Forms requires the Polls, Surveys & Quizzes add-on on the Elite plan for date range functionality. Everest Forms includes it in the core free plugin.
Can I use date range and multiple dates on the same form? Yes — add two separate Date / Time fields, one set to Range and one set to Multiple. Label each field clearly so users understand what each one is for.
What’s the difference between Date Range and Multiple Dates? Date Range captures a continuous span — a start date and an end date with everything in between implied. Multiple Dates captures any number of individual days with no connection between them. Use Range when duration matters, Multiple when separate sessions matter.
Need a single date or time picker for appointment and booking forms? See How to Create a WordPress Form with Date / Time Picker →
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