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How to insert current date and time in Excel?

Author Kelly Last modified

Do you need to display the current date and time automatically whenever you open the workbook or recalculate formulas? You can insert a dynamic time to get it. And this article is going to show you how to insert all kinds of current time in cells, including the current year, current month, current date, current weekday, and current time, etc.

Insert current date and time in cell with formulas

Insert current date and time in cells with keyboard shortcuts

Insert current date and time in cells header or footer with Kutools for Excel

arrow blue right bubble Insert current date and time in cell with formulas

We can apply functions to insert all kinds of current time in cells directly.

Insert current Timestamp in cell with formula

Sometimes you may need to insert a timestamp in cells for any other purpose, such as making an expenses report, exercise schedules in Excel.

Just enter the formula of =Now() in a blank cell, and press the Enter key, it will show the current timestamp in the cell, see screenshot:

A screenshot showing the NOW function to insert current timestamp in Excel Arrow A screenshot showing the result of using NOW function in Excel to insert current timestamp

Insert current Date in cell with formula

You may require a current date in cells. For example, you design an invoice form, you need the date automatically change and show as the data that you make the invoice.

Just enter the formula of =Today() in a blank cell, and press the Enter key. And now it shows the current date as follows:

A screenshot showing the TODAY function to insert current date in Excel Arrow A screenshot showing the result of using TODAY function in Excel for current date

Insert current Year in cell with formula

Sometimes it only requires a dynamic current year in cells, so you can enter the formula of =YEAR(TODAY()) in a blank cell and press the Enter key. Then it displays the dynamic current year in the cell.

A screenshot showing the YEAR function to insert current year in Excel Arrow A screenshot showing the result of using YEAR function in Excel for current year

Insert current Month in cell with formula

If the dynamic current month is required, you can enter the formula of =MONTH(TODAY()) in a blank cell, press the Enter key, and get the current month in cell.

A screenshot showing the MONTH function to insert current month in Excel Arrow A screenshot showing the result of using MONTH function in Excel for current month

Insert current day of week in cell with formula

The formula of =TEXT(NOW(),"dddd") can help you get the dynamic current weekday in cells quickly.

A screenshot showing the TEXT function to insert current weekday in Excel Arrow A screenshot showing the result of using TEXT function in Excel to display weekday

arrow blue right bubble Insert current date and time in cells with keyboard shortcuts

You can insert current time and current date in cells quickly with keyboards shortcuts.

Select a blank cells, and press the Ctrl key and ; key together to display the current date in the cell.

If you press the Ctrl key, Shift key, and ; key together, it displays the current time in the cell.

Please note that the current time inserted with keyboard shortcuts is not dynamic, and it won't change when the real time changes.

arrow blue right bubble Insert current date and time in cells header or footer with Kutools for Excel

Sometimes, you want to insert the current date and time, file path, filename, user name or other workbook information into cell, header or footer, please, don’t worry, Kutools for Excel’s Insert Workbook Information can help you insert these information quickly and easily.

Kutools for Excel offers over 300 advanced features to streamline complex tasks, boosting creativity and efficiency. Itegarate with AI capabilities, Kutools automates tasks with precision, making data management effortless. Detailed information of Kutools for Excel...         Free trial...

1. Click Kutools Plus > Workbook > Insert Workbook Information, see screenshot:

A screenshot of the Insert Workbook Information option in Kutools tab on the ribbon

2. In the Insert Workbook Information dialog box, choose the information that you want to insert, and then specify the location where you want to insert at, see screenshot:

A screenshot of the Insert Workbook Information dialog box

3. After specify the operations, please click Ok button, and your needed information has been inserted into the cell, header or footer as you want.

Click to know more about this Insert Workbook Information utility.

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