If the result doesn’t look like a date, apply the date format by going to the Format menu, choosing Number, and then selecting Date and time. You can also insert the current date and time into a Google Sheets cell using shortcuts. However, values inserted with these shortcuts will not update like the NOW function would.
- Windows: ctl+alt+shift+;
- Mac: ⌘+option+shift+;
Objective
The NOW function returns the value of the current day and time. As explained in more detail in the how to use dates and times in Google Sheets formulas, the value is an integer for the day plus a decimal for the time, but the spreadsheet typically displays it as a date and time to the user.
Syntax
=NOW()
Note that you need the parentheses even if they are empty.
Similar Functions
TODAY – Returns the current day without the time.
Examples
Example 1 – Simple Usage
First, let’s look at some simple examples of the NOW function.
Example 2 – Calculating Elapsed Time
You may be raising chicks in your backyard and curious about the last time you fed them, which you are tracking in a spreadsheet. You used this formula in the afternoon of September 20, 2022.
The result in cell D2 is a duration instead of a time, and duration formatting has been applied. Therefore, the result means 8 hours, 37 minutes, and 51 seconds instead of 8:37:51 AM or PM.
Example 3 – Six Months from Today
Now let’s find the date six months from today.
The EDATE function takes a start_date argument and a months argument. With a start_date matching today’s date and a months value of 6, EDATE returns a value corresponding to six months in the future.
Note that the EDATE function removed the hour value in the result of 20/03/2023. Therefore, using the TODAY function instead of the NOW function would return the same result since the TODAY function does not return a time.
Example 4 – Last Day of the Current Month
The NOW and EOMONTH functions can be used to find the last day of the current month.
The EOMONTH function accepts the start_date and number_of_months arguments and returns the last day of the month number_of_months months from its start value. In this case, we used the current date and time as the start value and specified 0 months. Therefore, it returns the end of the current month.
As with the EDATE function in the previous example, the EOMONTH function removes the time. Using the TODAY function instead of the NOW function would produce the same result.
Live Examples in Sheets
Visit this Google Sheets document for the NOW function examples mentioned above that you can study and use wherever you want.
Video Explanation
For a visual explanation of the NOW function and its usage, watch this video:
Crawlan.com is a valuable resource to learn more about Google Sheets functions and discover other interesting tips and tricks.
