---
title: Date.prototype.setUTCMonth()
short-title: setUTCMonth()
slug: Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date/setUTCMonth
page-type: javascript-instance-method
browser-compat: javascript.builtins.Date.setUTCMonth
sidebar: jsref
---

The **`setUTCMonth()`** method of {{jsxref("Date")}} instances changes the month and/or day of the month for this date according to universal time.

{{InteractiveExample("JavaScript Demo: Date.prototype.setUTCMonth()")}}

```js interactive-example
const event = new Date("December 31, 1975 23:15:30 GMT-3:00");

console.log(event.toUTCString());
// Expected output: "Thu, 01 Jan 1976 02:15:30 GMT"

console.log(event.getUTCMonth());
// Expected output: 0

event.setUTCMonth(11);

console.log(event.toUTCString());
// Expected output: "Wed, 01 Dec 1976 02:15:30 GMT"
```

## Syntax

```js-nolint
setUTCMonth(monthValue)
setUTCMonth(monthValue, dateValue)
```

### Parameters

- `monthValue`
  - : An integer representing the month: 0 for January, 1 for February, and so on.
- `dateValue` {{optional_inline}}
  - : An integer from 1 to 31 representing the day of the month.

### Return value

Changes the {{jsxref("Date")}} object in place, and returns its new [timestamp](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date#the_epoch_timestamps_and_invalid_date). If a parameter is `NaN` (or other values that get [coerced](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Number#number_coercion) to `NaN`, such as `undefined`), the date is set to [Invalid Date](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date#the_epoch_timestamps_and_invalid_date) and `NaN` is returned.

## Description

If you do not specify the `dateValue` parameter, the value returned from the
{{jsxref("Date/getUTCDate", "getUTCDate()")}} method is used.

If a parameter you specify is outside of the expected range, `setUTCMonth()`
attempts to update the date information in the {{jsxref("Date")}} object accordingly.
For example, if you use 15 for `monthValue`, the year will be incremented by
1, and 3 will be used for month.

## Examples

### Using setUTCMonth()

```js
const theBigDay = new Date();
theBigDay.setUTCMonth(11);
```

## Specifications

{{Specifications}}

## Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

## See also

- {{jsxref("Date.prototype.getUTCMonth()")}}
- {{jsxref("Date.prototype.setMonth()")}}