Purpose
Return value
Arguments
Syntax
Usage notes
NOW takes no parameters but requires empty parentheses. The value returned by NOW will continually update each time the worksheet is updated, for example, each time a value is entered or changed. Use F9 to force the worksheet to recalculate and update the value.
The value returned by the NOW function is a standard Excel date, including a fractional value for time. To display the result as a date, apply a date number format. Optionally customize the number format to include the time. If you want the current date without a time value, use the TODAY function.
Examples
The examples below show how the NOW function can be used in various ways:
=NOW() // current date and time
=NOW()-7 // last week same time
=NOW()+7 // next week same time
=NOW()+90 // 90 days from now
=MROUND(NOW()+90,"1:00") // 90 days from now to nearest hour
=EDATE(NOW(),3) // 3 months from now, time removed
=EDATE(NOW(),12) // 12 months from now, time removed
=EOMONTH(NOW(),-1)+1 // first day of current month
=EDATE(NOW(),6)+MOD(NOW(),6) // 6 months from now, time preserved
Static date and time
If you need a static date and time that won't change, you can use the following shortcuts:
- Insert current date - Control + ;
- Insert current time - Control + Shift + :
To enter both values in a single cell, enter the date, a space, then the time.
Formatting results
The result of NOW is a serial number representing an Excel date and time. You can format the value returned by TODAY using any standard date format. You can use the TEXT function to build a text message that includes the current date:
="The date is "&TEXT(NOW(),"mmm d")&" and the time is "&
TEXT(NOW(),"h:mm AM/PM")
To return a text string like "The date is May 31 and the time is 6:10 PM".