Insert the current date and time in a cell

Microsoft Office Excel 2003

Current date    Select a cell and press CTRL+;

Current time    Select a cell and press CTRL+SHIFT+;

Current date and time    Select a cell and press CTRL+; then SPACE then CTRL+SHIFT+;

ShowInsert a date or time whose value is updated

Use the TODAY and NOW functions to do this task.

Worksheet example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

ShowHow?

  1. Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
  2. Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

    Selecting an example from Help

    Selecting an example from Help

  3. Press CTRL+C.
  4. In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
  5. To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.
 
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Formula Description (Result)
=TODAY() Current date (varies)
=NOW() Current date and time (varies)

Note  The NOW() and TODAY() functions change only when the worksheet is calculated or when a macro that contains the function is run. They are not updated continuously. The date and time used are taken from the computer's system clock.

Function details

TODAY

NOW