Excel NOW Function

NOW returns the current date and time from your computer's clock, refreshed every time Excel recalculates the workbook. It takes no arguments at all. The one thing that trips people up: NOW doesn't update live, second by second, while you watch the screen. It only updates when something triggers a recalculation, and that distinction matters more than most tutorials let on.

Syntax

=NOW()

Parameter	Required	Description
(none)	No	NOW takes no arguments. The parentheses are still required, but they stay empty.

Basic Example

You're logging order entries and want a timestamp that records when each row was created.

=NOW()

// no arguments = returns the current date and time from the system clock

Enter this in a cell and Excel shows something like 7/18/2026 2:47 PM, formatted using your default Region settings. Behind that display sits a decimal number, roughly 46221.61597. The whole number part counts the days since January 1, 1900. The fraction represents the time as a portion of a 24-hour day.

How NOW Works

It returns a serial number, not "real" time

Excel stores every date and time as a number. NOW returns a number like 46221.6159, where 46221 is the date and .6159 is 14 hours, 47 minutes, and change into the day. The cell format just controls how that number displays, whether as a date, a time, or both.

It updates on recalculation, not continuously

This is the detail most articles get wrong. NOW does not tick forward like a live clock while you sit and stare at the sheet. It recalculates only when Excel actually recalculates: opening the workbook, editing any cell, pressing F9, or any action that triggers Excel's calculation engine. Leave the sheet open and untouched for twenty minutes, and the cell still shows the old timestamp until something forces a refresh.

Excel's calculation mode changes when it updates

By default, Excel runs in Automatic calculation mode, so NOW refreshes on almost every edit anywhere in the workbook. Switch to Manual mode (Formulas tab > Calculation Options), and NOW freezes until you press F9 or Shift+F9. If your NOW formulas seem stuck, check the calculation mode first. It's the most common cause of "NOW isn't updating" complaints, and it's almost never mentioned alongside the fix.

It ignores time zones

NOW pulls from your computer's local system clock, not a server or a fixed time zone. Open the same workbook on a machine set to a different time zone, and NOW returns a different value, even at the exact same moment.

Common Use Cases

Timestamping a data entry log

Stamp each row with the moment it was added, useful for order logs or approval trackers.

=NOW()   // returns the current date and time when the cell is calculated

Calculating elapsed time

Measure how long a task has been open by subtracting a start time from NOW.

=NOW()-B2

// B2 = the date and time the ticket was opened
// result is a decimal representing elapsed days, format as [h]:mm to show hours

Building a countdown or deadline tracker

Show how much time remains before a deadline.

=C2-NOW()

// C2 = the deadline date and time
// returns a negative number once the deadline has passed

Displaying only the current time in a dashboard

Show just the clock portion without the date cluttering the cell.

=NOW()   // format the cell as h:mm:ss AM/PM to hide the date portion

Handling Errors

NOW itself almost never throws an error since it takes no input to go wrong. Errors show up when NOW is used in a larger calculation with bad data on the other side.

Common causes of #VALUE! when NOW is part of a formula:

• Subtracting or adding a cell that contains text instead of a valid date or time
• Referencing a cell that's blank when a numeric result is expected
• Trying to pass an argument into NOW, like =NOW(1), which Excel rejects outright

=NOW()-A2   // returns #VALUE! if A2 contains text instead of a date or time

=IFERROR(NOW()-A2, "Check date in A2")

If a NOW-based formula returns #VALUE!, check the other cell in the calculation first. NOW itself is rarely the problem, since it never accepts bad input of its own.

Notes & Gotchas

What is the NOW function in Excel?

NOW is a built-in Excel function that returns the current date and time as a live, recalculating value. It takes no arguments and refreshes automatically whenever the workbook recalculates. The result is a serial number formatted to display as a readable date and time.

How do you use the NOW function in Excel?

Type =NOW() into any cell and press Enter. Excel displays the current date and time using your system's default format, and you can reformat the cell to show only the date, only the time, or a custom combination of both. No arguments are needed, so the parentheses always stay empty.

What is the difference between the NOW function and the TODAY function in Excel?

NOW returns both the date and the time as a decimal serial number. TODAY returns only the date, as a whole number with no time component. Use TODAY when you only care about the day, such as calculating someone's age or days until a deadline. Use NOW when the time of day actually matters, like logging when a form was submitted.

How do I stop the NOW function from updating in Excel?

You can't make NOW itself stop updating. It's a volatile function designed to always reflect the current moment. To freeze a timestamp permanently, press Ctrl + ; to insert a static date, then Ctrl + Shift + ; to insert a static time in the next cell, or copy the NOW cell and paste it back as values (Paste Special > Values) to lock it in place.

Does NOW work across time zones?

Not automatically. NOW reads the system clock of whatever machine has the workbook open, so the same file can show different timestamps on computers in different time zones. There's no built-in time zone conversion; you'd need to add or subtract hours manually based on the offset.

What happens if I format a NOW cell but the value looks wrong?

Formatting only changes the display, never the stored value. If a cell shows 2:47 PM but you expected a full date, the underlying number still includes both the date and time; the cell format is just hiding the date portion. Check Format Cells > Custom to see what format code is actually applied.

Related Functions

Function	Use this when...
TODAY	You only need the current date with no time component.
DATE	You need to build a specific date from separate year, month, and day values.