NOW Function in Excel: Current Date and Time

📎 This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓

Date & TimeLevel: BeginnerAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article

1. Syntax
2. Examples
3. Example 1
4. Example 2
5. Example 3
6. Common errors and fixes
7. NOW in practice
8. Where you will use it
9. Worked example
10. Mistakes people make
11. Related functions
12. Continue learning

NOW returns the current date and time and updates every time the sheet recalculates. For a timestamp that stays fixed, press Ctrl+; then Space then Ctrl+Shift+;.

Syntax

=NOW()

Examples

Example 1

=NOW()

Shows something like 12-Jul-2017 14:35 (format the cell to show time).

Example 2

=(NOW()-A2)*24

Hours since the ticket in A2 was opened.

Example 3

=IF(NOW()>B2, "Late", "")

Flag deadlines that have passed, including the time of day.

Common errors and fixes

You see	Why, and the fix
Value keeps changing	That is how NOW works. Paste as values, or use the keyboard shortcut for a fixed time.

NOW in practice

Where you will use it

• Timestamp a report's refresh
• Hours until a deadline
• Live clock on a dashboard

Worked example

Example	Formula	Result
Report refreshed at	=TEXT(NOW(),"dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm")	(changes every recalculation)

Results calculated in Excel. NOW changes every time the sheet recalculates, so no fixed result is shown.

Mistakes people make

Mistake	What to do instead
Expecting it to stay fixed	NOW recalculates; press Ctrl+; then Ctrl+Shift+; for a fixed stamp
Slow workbooks	Many volatile functions recalculate on every change

Related functions

TODAY · HOUR · TEXT

📚 Part of the free Excel course: Beginner → Expert · Try it in the Formula Lab or ask the AI Helper.

Continue learning

All Date & Time guides →

TIMEVALUE Function in Excel: Text Time to Real TimeDateLevel: IntermediateAvailable in: Excel 2007+TIMEVALUE turns text like "2:45 PM" into a real time…DATEVALUE Function in Excel: Convert Text Dates Into Real DatesDATEVALUE turns a date written as text into a real date number. It follows…MINUTE Function in Excel: Minute From a TimeDateLevel: BeginnerAvailable in: Excel 2007+MINUTE returns 0–59 from a time.Syntax=MINUTE(serial_number)ArgumentWhat it.SECOND Function in Excel: Second From a TimeDateLevel: BeginnerAvailable in: Excel 2007+SECOND returns 0–59. Mostly used to strip seconds from machine.

📎 Practice files for this article

• 📗
  Practice workbook: Dates & times22 tasks on realistic sales data — type your formula, the Check column turns green when it is right. Answers sheet included.
  ⬇ XLSX · 34 KB

Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.