When working with Excel, it’s often useful to display the current date in your spreadsheets. Whether you’re tracking tasks, managing financial data, or creating reports, having today’s date automatically generated can save time and improve accuracy. In this guide, we’ll explore different Excel formulas and formatting techniques to achieve this.

Table of Contents

• Using the TODAY Function
• Customizing Date Formatting
• Using Keyboard Shortcuts
• Dynamic Date with AutoFill
• Conclusion

Using the TODAY Function

The simplest way to display today’s date in Excel is by using the TODAY function. Here’s how to do it:

1. Select the cell where you want to display the date.
2. Enter the formula =TODAY().
3. Press Enter.

The cell will now display the current date, and it will automatically update to the current date every time you open the spreadsheet.

Customizing Date Formatting

Excel allows you to customize the formatting of the date. To change the date format:

1. Select the cell with the date.
2. Right-click and choose “Format Cells”
3. In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the “Number” tab.
4. Choose “Date” from the Category list.
5. Select your desired date format from the list.
6. Click “OK” to apply the formatting.

You can choose from a wide range of date formats to suit your preferences.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Excel offers keyboard shortcuts to quickly insert today’s date:

• To insert today’s date: Press Ctrl + ; (semicolon).
• To insert the current time: Press Ctrl + Shift + ; (semicolon).

These shortcuts can save you time when entering dates in your spreadsheet.

Dynamic Date with AutoFill

If you need a range of dates, you can use Excel’s AutoFill feature with the TODAY function. Here’s how:

1. Enter the current date using the TODAY function in one cell (e.g., A1).
2. Select the cell with the date (A1).
3. Hover over the small square in the lower-right corner of the selected cell until you see a black cross cursor.
4. Click and drag the cursor down or across to fill adjacent cells with future or past dates.

Excel will automatically populate the cells with dynamic dates based on the original date.

Conclusion

Displaying today’s date in your Excel spreadsheets is straightforward and can greatly enhance the functionality and usability of your documents. Whether you choose to use the TODAY function, customize date formatting, or utilize keyboard shortcuts, Excel provides versatile options to meet your needs.

If you’re interested in useful advanced Excel formulas, check out our free 2023 Excel CheatSheet :)