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Excelspreadsheet~5 mins

TODAY and NOW functions in Excel - Step-by-Step Guide

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Introduction
The TODAY and NOW functions help you get the current date and time automatically in your spreadsheet. They update every time you open or change the sheet, so you always see the latest date or time without typing it manually.
When you want to show today's date on a report or invoice automatically.
When you need to track the current time for a time log or attendance sheet.
When calculating how many days have passed since a certain date.
When creating a deadline countdown that updates every day.
When stamping the current date and time for data entry records.
Steps
Step 1: Click
- a blank cell where you want the current date
The cell is selected and ready for input
Step 2: Type
- the formula bar
The formula appears in the cell and formula bar
💡 Type =TODAY() to get the current date without time
Step 3: Press
- Enter key
The cell shows today's date in default date format
Step 4: Click
- another blank cell
The cell is selected for input
Step 5: Type
- the formula bar
The formula appears in the cell and formula bar
💡 Type =NOW() to get the current date and time
Step 6: Press
- Enter key
The cell shows the current date and time in default format
Before vs After
Before
Cell A1 is empty
After
Cell A1 shows today's date (e.g., 2024-06-15) after typing =TODAY()
Settings Reference
Cell Format
📍 Home tab > Number group > Number Format dropdown
Change how the date or time looks in the cell
Default: General or Date
Common Mistakes
Typing =TODAY without parentheses
Excel needs parentheses even if there are no arguments
Always type =TODAY() with the parentheses
Expecting =NOW() to stay the same after opening the file later
These functions update automatically every time the sheet recalculates
Use copy-paste as values if you want to keep a fixed date/time
Summary
TODAY() shows the current date and updates automatically.
NOW() shows the current date and time and updates automatically.
Remember to use parentheses even if no arguments are needed.