# NOW function in Excel

> NOW returns the current date and time, and updates whenever the workbook recalculates.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/now · Updated October 28, 2026 · Formulas and results on this page were run by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on October 30, 2026

## Quick answer

- **What it does:** NOW returns the current date and time, and updates whenever the workbook recalculates.
- **Syntax:** `=NOW()`
- **Most common use:** `=NOW()-A2` returns 298.074294 (Days since the ticket opened, with a fraction for the hours)
- **Available in:** Every current version
- **Category:** [Date functions](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/category/date)
- **Returns:** The current date and time as a serial number.
- **Google Sheets:** Works the same in Google Sheets.

## What it does

NOW returns the current date and time, and updates whenever the workbook recalculates. Use it for hours-since and time-left calculations, and to show when a report was last refreshed. To record a fixed time that never changes, type it instead: Ctrl+Shift+; enters the current time in Excel.

## Syntax

`=NOW()`



## Examples

Each result was calculated by running the formula on the sample sheet.

| Cell | Formula | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2 | `=NOW()-A2` | 298.074294 | Days since the ticket opened, with a fraction for the hours |
| B3 | `=INT(NOW())` | 10/30/2026 | Today's date: the whole-number part of NOW |
| B4 | `=(NOW()-A2)*24` | 7153.783056 | The same gap in hours |

### The sample sheet

Every formula above runs on this data:

|  | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opened | Result |
| 2 | 1/5/2026 | 298.074294 |
| 3 |  | 10/30/2026 |
| 4 |  | 7153.783056 |

## Common mistakes

| What you see | Why, and how to fix it |
|---|---|
| The value keeps changing | That's what NOW does. Paste it as a value, or enter the time with Ctrl+Shift+;, to freeze it. |
| Only a date shows | Format the cell as a date and time, such as m/d/yyyy h:mm. |
| A slow workbook | NOW is volatile: every formula that uses it recalculates after each change. |

## Tips

- =NOW()-TODAY() is the current time of day on its own.

## Related functions

- [TODAY](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/today): TODAY returns the current date, with no time attached, and updates every time the workbook recalculates.
- [TIME](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/time): TIME builds a time from hours, minutes and seconds, such as TIME(13,30,0) for 1:30 PM.
- [HOUR](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/hour): HOUR returns the hour of a time as a number from 0 to 23, so 1:45 PM gives 13.

## Questions

### What is the difference between NOW and TODAY?

TODAY returns just the date; NOW returns the date and the time.

### How do I calculate the hours elapsed since a time?

=(NOW()-A2)*24 gives hours, because a day is stored as 1.

## Practice

A graded NOW exercise ("Hours since opened") is on [the NOW page](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/now). It is checked instantly, then re-checked on changed data.

---

Spreadsheet Practice (https://spreadsheetpractice.com) teaches spreadsheet formulas by practice: every exercise is graded in a live grid and re-checked on changed data.