| Function Category | Date and Time |
| Volatility | Volatile |
| Related Functions | TODAY — returns only the current date TEXT — can format date and time as needed DATE, TIME — construct date and time manually |
What does the NOW function do?
The NOW function, despite its name, returns more than just the current date. That's what the TODAY function does. Our featured function returns both date and time as a single value. Hence the name: it returns the current moment, “now”.
Like TODAY, the NOW function is volatile — its result updates every time the worksheet changes or recalculates, as well as when the file is opened.
Example return value:
06/17/2025 14:45Used in reports, logs, for timestamping data changes, or in deadline calculations.
Current Date and Time with Millisecond Precision
The NOW function returns the current time with precision up to 10 milliseconds(!). You probably won't need that, but still :)
To display the current time with such precision, use the TEXT function:
=TEXT(NOW(),"DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS.000")or
=TEXT(NOW(),"DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS,000")depending on whether your Excel settings use a period or comma as the decimal separator.
NOW: result and input format
By default, Excel displays both date and time. To show only time or only date, you need to change the cell format.
Example formula to display only time as text:
=TEXT(NOW(),"HH:MM")For date only:
=TEXT(NOW(),"DD.MM.YYYY")NOW function syntax
=NOW()| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Formula | Example result | What it shows |
| 2 | =NOW() | 10/22/2026 14:45=NOW() | date and time |
| 3 | =NOW()*1 | 46317.61458=NOW()*1 | serial number: day + fraction |
| 4 | =TEXT(NOW(),"HH:MM") | 14:45=TEXT(NOW(),"HH:MM") | time only, as text |
| 5 | =TEXT(NOW(),"mm/dd/yyyy HH:MM:SS.000") | 10/22/2026 14:45:33.120=TEXT(NOW(),"mm/dd/yyyy HH:MM:SS.000") | with milliseconds |
| 6 | =NOW()-0.5 | 10/22/2026 02:45=NOW()-0.5 | 12 hours ago |
| 7 | =NOW()-TODAY() | 0.61458=NOW()-TODAY() | time part only |
| 8 | =INT(NOW()) | 10/22/2026=INT(NOW()) | date part only |
NOW is a number: the integer part is the date, the fraction is the time. Subtract 0.5 for 12 hours, 1/24 for one hour. INT keeps the date, NOW()−TODAY() keeps the time. The values change at every recalculation.
Arguments:
The function takes no arguments. Parentheses are required.
NOW formula examples
| Formula | Description | Example Result |
|---|---|---|
=NOW() | Current date and time | 06/17/2025 14:45 |
=TEXT(NOW(),"DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS") | Formatted output | 17.06.2025 14:45:33 |
=NOW()-0.5 | 12 hours ago | 06/16/2025 14:45 |
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Event | Started | Time passed |
| 2 | Upload | 10/22/2026 09:30 | 5:15=NOW()-B2 |
| 3 | Backup | 10/21/2026 22:00 | 16:45=NOW()-B3 |
| 4 | Deploy | 10/20/2026 14:45 | 48:00=NOW()-B4 |
Subtracting a past moment from NOW() gives a duration. Format the result as [h]:mm, so that more than 24 hours shows as 48:00, not 0:00. Result shown for 10/22/2026 14:45.
NOW features and limitations
- The function is volatile, meaning it updates automatically when the workbook is opened and with any data change or event in it, if automatic calculations are enabled in the workbook.
- To fix the value, copy the cell and use paste "as values".
- The actual result of the function is a number with a fractional part: the integer part is the date, the fractional part is the time.
Other Date and Time Functions in Excel
TIMEVALUE, TIME, YEAR, DATE, DATEVALUE, EDATE, DAY, WEEKDAY, YEARFRAC, EOMONTH, MONTH, MINUTE, WEEKNUM, WORKDAY, DATEDIF, TODAY, SECOND, HOUR, NETWORKDAYS
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