When to use Excel NOW Function
NOW function can be used to get the current date and time value. It is useful when you want to update the time whenever someone opens a worksheet or when a calculation is dependent on current time.
What it Returns
It returns a serial number that represents the current date and time. The integer part of the serial number represents the date and decimal portion represents time.
Syntax
=NOW()
Input Arguments
NOW function does not take any input arguments. It is used with empty parenthesis.
NOW is a volatile function and should be used with caution. It recalculates whenever the excel workbook is open or whenever a calculation is triggered in the worksheet. This means that the value of NOW keeps on changing based on the current date and time. Since volatile functions re-calculates so often, it adds to the processing time and slows down your workbook. It can be forced to recalculate by pressing the F9 key. This recalculates the entire workbook calculations. To get static time (that does not recalculate), either manually type the value or use the keyboard shortcut Control + Shift + : (Note: this shortcut gets the time component only, and not the date). If you do not want the Excel NOW function to recalculate, again and again, you can change the calculations settings from automatic to manual. You can find this setting in the Excel Options.
Excel NOW Function – Live Examples
Excel NOW Function – Video Tutorial
Related Useful Excel Functions:
Excel DAY Function: Excel DAY function can be used when you want to get the day value (ranging between 1 to 31) from a specified date. It returns a value between 0 and 31 depending on the date used as the input. Excel HOUR Function: Excel HOUR function can be used when you want to get the HOUR integer value from a specified time value. It returns a value between 0 (12:00 A.M.) and 23 (11:00 P.M.) depending on the time value used as the input. Excel MINUTE Function: Excel MINUTE function can be used when you want to get the MINUTE integer value from a specified time value. It returns a value between 0 and 59 depending on the time value used as the input. Excel SECOND Function: Excel SECOND function can be used want to get the integer value of the seconds from a specified time value. It returns a value between 0 and 59 depending on the time value used as the input.
Excel Timesheet Calculator Template. How to Insert Date and Timestamp in Excel. Excel Timesheet Calculator template. Excel Calendar Template.
