How to Use now() Function in MySQL: Syntax and Examples

In MySQL, use the now() function to get the current date and time in the format 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS'. It is commonly used in queries to insert or compare timestamps representing the current moment.

Syntax

The now() function has no parameters and returns the current date and time as a DATETIME value.

• now(): Returns the current date and time.

sql

SELECT now();

Output

2024-06-15 14:30:45

Example

This example shows how to use now() to insert the current timestamp into a table and then select it.

sql

CREATE TABLE events (
  id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  event_name VARCHAR(50),
  event_time DATETIME
);

INSERT INTO events (event_name, event_time) VALUES ('Meeting', now());

SELECT * FROM events;

Output

1 | Meeting | 2024-06-15 14:30:45

Common Pitfalls

Some common mistakes when using now() include:

• Using now() in a query expecting a date only, which returns date and time.
• Confusing now() with curdate() which returns only the date.
• Expecting now() to update automatically after insertion; it captures the time at query execution.

sql

/* Wrong: expecting only date */
SELECT now() = curdate();

/* Right: use curdate() for date only */
SELECT curdate();

Output

0
2024-06-15

Quick Reference

Function	Description	Returns
now()	Current date and time	DATETIME (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
curdate()	Current date only	DATE (YYYY-MM-DD)
current_timestamp()	Synonym for now()	DATETIME (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)

Key Takeaways

Use now() to get the current date and time in MySQL.

now() returns a DATETIME value including both date and time.

For date only, use curdate() instead of now().

now() captures the time when the query runs, not dynamically updated later.

Use now() in INSERT or WHERE clauses to work with current timestamps.