{"id":55,"date":"2026-02-24T08:29:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigz.pk\/excel\/?post_type=lesson&#038;p=55"},"modified":"2026-03-07T04:31:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T04:31:49","slug":"today-and-now","status":"publish","type":"lesson","link":"https:\/\/gigz.pk\/excel\/lesson\/today-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"TODAY and NOW"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>TODAY<\/strong> and <strong>NOW<\/strong> functions are date and time functions used to return the current system date and time. These functions are dynamic, meaning they update automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. TODAY Function<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>TODAY<\/strong> function returns the current date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Structure:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">=TODAY()<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p> No arguments are required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If today\u2019s date is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>24-Feb-2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">=TODAY()<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Result:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>24-Feb-2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to Use TODAY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Display current date automatically<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Calculate age<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track deadlines<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create dynamic reports<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Calculate remaining days<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">=A1-TODAY()<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>This calculates how many days are left until a future date in cell A1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. NOW Function<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>NOW<\/strong> function returns the current date <strong>and time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Structure:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">=NOW()<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p> No arguments are required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If current date and time is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>24-Feb-2026 10:30 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">=NOW()<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Result:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>24-Feb-2026 10:30 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to Use NOW<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Timestamp entries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track real-time updates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitor time-sensitive reports<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Log current date and time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference Between TODAY and NOW<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>TODAY<\/th><th>NOW<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Returns only date<\/td><td>Returns date and time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No time included<\/td><td>Includes time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Updates daily<\/td><td>Updates continuously<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Important Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both functions are volatile (they recalculate automatically).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They update when the workbook is refreshed or reopened.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can format the result using Date or Time formatting options.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why These Functions Are Important<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>They help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create dynamic spreadsheets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track deadlines and schedules<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Calculate time differences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Build automated reports<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>TODAY and NOW are essential functions for working with date and time-based calculations in Excel.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"yoast-breadcrumbs\"><span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/gigz.pk\/excel\/\">Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb <span class=\"breadcrumb_last\" aria-current=\"page\">Excel Essential Functions (EEF) > Date &#038; Time Functions > TODAY and NOW<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1772858019733\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":26,"template":"","class_list":["post-55","lesson","type-lesson","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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