=TODAY() returns today's date and =NOW() returns the current date and time. Neither takes an argument, and both update every time the workbook recalculates, so the value you see today will be different tomorrow. For a date that never changes, press Ctrl+; instead (Control+; on a Mac).
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TODAY | NOW |
| 2 | 2026-10-04 | 2026-10-04 9:22 |
The sheet above shows the date and time as the page loaded. Each time a sheet recalculates, NOW moves to the current minute, while TODAY changes only once a day, at midnight. The parentheses are required: =TODAY without them returns #NAME?.
Days until a date
TODAY() is a number of days like any other date, so subtracting it gives a countdown. =B2-TODAY() is the days left until the date in B2, and =TODAY()-B2 the days since it.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Task | Deadline | Days left | Status |
| 2 | Report | 2026-12-31 | 88 | Open |
| 3 | Audit | 2027-03-15 | 162 | Open |
| 4 | Budget | 2025-11-30 | -308 | Overdue |
The numbers in column C go down by one every day. The budget deadline has passed, so its count is negative and the status says Overdue. To count working days left instead, use =NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(),B2) (see NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY).
TODAY inside other formulas
Wherever a formula needs a date, TODAY() can be that date: the current year, the end of this month, a date 30 days from now, or someone's age (calculate age).
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Formula |
| 2 | Year | 2026 |
| 3 | Month | 10 |
| 4 | End of this month | 2026-10-31 |
| 5 | In 30 days | 2026-11-03 |
| 6 | First of this month | 2026-10-01 |
B5 moves every day; B3, B4 and B6 move on the first day of each month, and B2 on January 1. EOMONTH with -1 returns the last day of the previous month, so adding 1 lands on the first of this one.
The current time without the date
NOW() holds the date as the whole number and the time as the fraction: noon is .5 of a day. =MOD(NOW(),1) keeps the fraction, which is the time alone. Format the cell as h:mm to see it as a clock time, or use TEXT for a label.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Time | As text | Hour |
| 2 | 9:22 | 9:22 | 9 |
A2 is a number (a fraction of a day) shown as a time, so it can be used in time calculations; B2 is text and cannot. C2 is the hour as a whole number from 0 to 23.
Insert a date or time that does not change
TODAY and NOW are wrong for anything that records when something happened, such as an order log or a signed form, because tomorrow every row would show tomorrow's date. Enter a fixed value instead:
| Insert | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Today's date | Ctrl+; | Control+; |
| Current time | Ctrl+Shift+; | Command+; |
| Date and time | Ctrl+;, Space, Ctrl+Shift+; | Control+;, Space, Command+; |
To freeze a formula that is already there, copy the cells, then Home > Paste > Paste Values (Windows: Ctrl+Alt+V, then V and Enter; Mac: Control+Command+V, then Values). The formula is replaced by the date it showed at that moment.
Practice: days left with a fixed date
For practice, the sheet below uses a fixed "as of" date in E2 in place of TODAY(), so the answer is the same every day. In your own workbook you would write TODAY() where this formula reads E2.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Task | Deadline | Days left | As of | |
| 2 | Launch | 2026-11-20 | 2026-10-01 |
Your turn: In C2, calculate how many days are left from the date in E2 until the deadline in B2.
Why TODAY and NOW keep changing
TODAY, NOW, RAND and OFFSET are volatile functions: Excel recalculates them every time anything in the workbook changes, when the file opens, and when you press F9. That is what keeps a countdown current, and it has two side effects:
- Excel asks to save changes when you close a file you only looked at, because the volatile cells recalculated.
- A large workbook with thousands of TODAY() cells can get slow. Put
=TODAY()in one cell, say$H$1, and point the other formulas at it.
If the date shown is wrong, check the computer's clock: TODAY reads the system date. If it does not update, the workbook may be in manual calculation mode: Formulas > Calculation Options > Automatic.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I insert today's date in Excel?
Type =TODAY() for a date that updates every day, or press Ctrl+; (Control+; on a Mac) for today's date as a fixed value that never changes.
What is the difference between TODAY and NOW in Excel?
=TODAY() returns the date only, as a whole number of days. =NOW() returns the date and the current time, with the time as the decimal part. Both recalculate whenever the workbook does.
How do I calculate the days until a date in Excel?
Subtract today from the date: =B2-TODAY(). The result counts down by one each day and turns negative once the date has passed.
How do I stop TODAY() from changing?
You can't make the formula stand still, but you can replace it with its value: copy the cell, then Home > Paste > Paste Values. Or enter the date with Ctrl+; in the first place.
How do I insert the current time in Excel?
Press Ctrl+Shift+; (Command+; on a Mac) for the time as a fixed value. As a formula, =NOW() gives the date and time, and =MOD(NOW(),1) the time alone, formatted as h:mm.
