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TODAY vs NOW: date only vs date and time in Excel and Sheets
Heads up: Excel and Google Sheets do this differently.
Excel
=TODAY()Google Sheets
=NOW()Try it with your data
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Sample data — click any cell to edit
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Step by step
- 1=TODAY() returns today's date at midnight — use it for age, deadlines, and day counts.
- 2=NOW() returns the date and current time — use it for timestamps and elapsed-time tracking.
- 3Both recalculate whenever the sheet changes; to freeze a value, paste it as a static value.
Tips
- NOW() - TODAY() gives just the current time as a fraction of a day.
- Format the cell to control whether the time portion is shown.
Need it for your exact data?
Describe your columns in plain English and get the precise formula for your sheet, with the right Excel or Sheets syntax.
Frequently asked
How do I stop the date from changing every day?
TODAY and NOW are live. To capture a fixed moment, copy the cell and Paste Special → Values, or press Ctrl+; (date) / Ctrl+Shift+; (time) to type a static stamp.