TODAY

Returns today's date as a date value, updating automatically whenever the workbook recalculates.

Date & Time
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Excel All versions
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Google Sheets Supported

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Syntax

=TODAY() Returns: Date

About

The TODAY function takes no arguments and returns the current date based on your computer's system clock. Each time your workbook recalculates (when you open it or edit a cell), TODAY refreshes to the current date automatically.

Use TODAY in formulas to calculate how many days remain until a deadline, flag overdue tasks with IF, or find how many days have passed since a project started. It pairs well with YEAR, MONTH, and DAY to extract specific parts of the current date.

If you need the current time along with the date, use NOW instead. For counting business days between two dates, combine TODAY with NETWORKDAYS to skip weekends and holidays.

Examples

Days elapsed since project start

See how TODAY subtracts a start date to count elapsed days. Change any Start date and watch the Days elapsed column update instantly. Notice the cells in column C are formatted as Number. Without that, Excel may show a date like 'Jan 20, 1900' instead of a day count.

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Automatic overdue status with IF

Watch the Status column update automatically based on today's date. Try changing a Due date to yesterday to flip a task to Overdue, or to next month to flip it back to On Track.

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Extract year, month, and day-of-year from TODAY

See how TODAY pairs with YEAR, MONTH, and DATE to pull useful numbers out of the current date. The day-of-year and days-left rows use date arithmetic, and they need Number formatting to show a count rather than a date.

Spreadsheet editor

Watch out for

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Cell shows a number instead of a date

TODAY() returns a date serial number internally (for example, 46010). If the cell is formatted as General or Number, you see the raw number rather than a readable date.

→ Format the cell as a Date: select the cell, then choose Home > Number Format > Short Date (or Long Date).

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Date not refreshing

If manual calculation mode is turned on, TODAY() stays frozen on the last-calculated date and does not update when you open the file.

→ Go to File > Options > Formulas and set Calculation Options to Automatic. You can also press F9 at any time to force a recalculation.

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Date subtraction shows a date, not a number

When you write a formula like =B2-TODAY(), Excel sometimes formats the result cell as a Date, showing something like "Jan 5, 1900" instead of a day count like 5.

→ Select the result cell and change its format to Number (Home > Number Format > Number). The day count will display correctly.

Tips & notes

TODAY is a volatile function, meaning Excel recalculates it every time any change is made anywhere in the workbook. In large workbooks with many volatile functions, this can slow down calculation. If you only need a static snapshot of the current date (one that will not change), press Ctrl+; on Windows or Cmd+; on Mac to insert today's date as a fixed value instead.

Common questions

Does TODAY() update when I open the file?

Yes, TODAY() refreshes whenever the workbook recalculates. With automatic calculation enabled (the default), this happens every time you open the file or edit a cell.

How do I freeze today's date so it does not change?

Press Ctrl+; on Windows or Cmd+; on Mac. This inserts the current date as a static value that will not update over time. You can also type a date directly or paste a value from a TODAY() cell.

What is the difference between TODAY() and NOW()?

TODAY() returns only the current date (no time component). NOW() returns both the current date and the current time. Use NOW() when you need a timestamp, and TODAY() when you only care about the date.

Can I use TODAY() to calculate someone's age?

Yes. You can combine TODAY with DATEDIF to calculate age: =DATEDIF(birthdate, TODAY(), "Y").