Excel NOW Function
Summary
The Excel NOW function returns the current date and time, updated continuously when a worksheet is changed or opened. The NOW function takes no arguments. You can format the value returned by NOW as a date, or as a date with time by applying a number format.
Purpose
Get the current date and time
Return value
A serial number representing a particular date and time in Excel.
Syntax
=NOW ()
Arguments
Version
Usage notes
NOW takes no parameters but requires empty parentheses. The value returned by NOW will continually update each time the worksheet is refreshed (for example, each time a value is entered or changed). Use F9 to force the worksheet to recalculate and update the value.
If you need a static time that won't change, you can enter the current time using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + :
NOW formula examples
The named range "sheetnames" is created with this code:
=GET.WORKBOOK(1)&T(NOW())
GET.WORKBOOK is a macro command that retrieves an array of sheet names in the current workbook. The resulting array looks like...
The NOW function takes no arguments; it is entered with empty parentheses. When you enter the NOW function in a cell, it will display the current date and time. Each time the worksheet is recalculated or opened, the...
Related videos
You may often want to enter the current date and time into a worksheet. In this video, we look at several ways to handle current dates and times.
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