Auto-insert the date and time in your spreadsheet 

Working with the newest timestamps in Microsoft Excel really matters when you are doing project management, report generation, or tracking instances of time-sensitive data. That is why Excel TODAY and NOW functions help the user use dynamic dates and times set to update on their own. This is very useful in creating sine time sheets.

🔍 Why Would We Need TODAY() and NOW() in Excel?

  • Real-time system dates and timestamps onto your workbook
  • Build live reports, dashboards, and trackers
  • Automate schedules, deadlines, and task management
  • Increase data accuracy by reducing human error in date entries

⏳ TODAY() - Showing the Current Date

Syntax: =TODAY() 

  • Shows the current date as per the system clock
  • Updates automatically with each opening or recalculation of the workbook

Common Examples:

  • Display today's date on a header or dashboard
  • Calculate age from a birth date (e.g., =YEAR(TODAY()) - YEAR(A2) )
  • Displays number of days until/since a deadline (e.g., =A2 - TODAY() )

🕒 NOW() - Show the Current Date and Time

Syntax: =NOW() 

  • Shows the current date and time
  • Works dynamically similar to TODAY()

Common Uses:

  • Timestamp activity log or user submission
  • Create a countdown or stopwatch formula (e.g., =NOW() - B2 )
  • Highlight overdue tasks in real time

📄 Example Use Cases

Task
Formula
Result
Age Calculator
=YEAR(TODAY()) - YEAR(B2)
Displays age based on birthdate
Days Until Event
=A2 - TODAY()
Shows how many days are left until the event
Time Since Start
=NOW() - B2
Measures duration in real time
Live Greeting
=IF(HOUR(NOW())<12, "Good Morning", "Good Afternoon")
Outputs greeting based on time

💡 Another option for the output: Format Cells -> Custom -> (choose only date, only time, or date & time)

  •  dd-mmm-yyyy 
  •  hh:mm:ss AM/PM 
  •  dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm:ss 

🔐 Pro Tips for Advanced Usage

  • Use Paste Special->Values for fixing a timestamp
  • Use IFERROR() to deal with empty or invalid cells
  • Mix with conditional formatting to flag dates overdue or within a defined range

The Excel TODAY and NOW functions help you build smarter, real-time spreadsheets. Be it HR, finance, education, or any other domain: the moment your data represents is always the present. They save you time and work smarter.

🎓 Learn More with Other Levels

Take your Excel skills to the next level:

✍️ Other Articles, Tips & Tricks you would like:

Work Faster, Smarter, Productively and Efficiently with Other Levels Dashboard Template 

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