To put today’s date in an Excel cell, press Ctrl + ; (semicolon). To put the current time, press Ctrl + Shift + ;. Both are static, so they won’t change later. If you want a date or time that updates every time the workbook recalculates, use the formulas =TODAY() for the date or =NOW() for the date and time. On a Mac, the shortcuts are Control + ; for the date and Command + ; for the time.
Below are all the ways to enter dates and times in Excel, how to format them, how to fill a series of dates, and how to fix dates that show as numbers or hashtags.
Enter a fixed date or time with a shortcut
| Insert | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Today’s date | Ctrl + ; | Control + ; |
| Current time | Ctrl + Shift + ; | Command + ; |
| Date and time | Ctrl + ; then Space then Ctrl + Shift + ; | Control + ; then Space then Command + ; |
These values never change, which makes them right for logs, timestamps and records of when something happened.
Insert a date that updates automatically
- =TODAY() shows today’s date.
- =NOW() shows today’s date and the current time.
Both update whenever the workbook recalculates or reopens. Use them for things like “days until due,” for example =A2-TODAY(), where A2 holds a due date.
Type a specific date or time
Type a date in a format Excel recognizes, such as 10/15/2026, 15-Oct-2026 or October 15, 2026, and Excel converts it to a date. Type times like 9:30 AM or 14:45. To enter both, separate them with a space: 10/15/2026 9:30 AM.
Excel reads dates according to your computer’s regional settings. In the US, 3/4/2026 means March 4. In many other countries, it means 3 April.
Build a date from separate numbers
If the year, month and day are in different cells, combine them with =DATE(year, month, day), such as =DATE(A2, B2, C2). For times, use =TIME(hour, minute, second).
Change how a date or time looks
- Select the cells.
- Press Ctrl + 1 (or Command + 1 on a Mac) to open Format Cells.
- On the Number tab, choose Date or Time and pick a format.
- For a custom look, choose Custom and type a code, such as dddd, mmmm d, yyyy for “Thursday, October 15, 2026” or h:mm AM/PM for “9:30 AM.”
Fill a series of dates
- Type the first date in a cell.
- Drag the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right corner of the cell) down or across.
- Click the Auto Fill Options button that appears and choose Fill Days, Fill Weekdays, Fill Months or Fill Years.
For more control, use Home > Fill > Series and set a step value, such as every 7 days. In Excel for Microsoft 365, =SEQUENCE(30,1,TODAY(),1) creates 30 consecutive dates starting today.
Fix common date problems
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Date shows as a number like 46310 | Cell is formatted as General or Number | Format the cell as Date |
| Cell shows ###### | Column too narrow | Double-click the column’s right border to widen it |
| Excel changes numbers into dates | Entries like 1-2 look like dates | Format the cells as Text first, or type an apostrophe before the entry |
| Day and month are swapped | Regional settings differ from the data | Use DATE() or Data > Text to Columns with the right date order |
| TODAY() won’t update | Calculation set to Manual | Formulas > Calculation Options > Automatic |
How Excel stores dates and times
Excel stores dates as serial numbers, counting days from January 1, 1900, and times as decimal fractions of a day. That’s why you can subtract one date from another to get the number of days between them, or add 7 to a date to get the date a week later. A time of 12:00 PM is stored as 0.5.
Related: stop Excel from changing numbers to dates.
Related: delete a button in Excel.
Frequently asked questions
How do I insert a timestamp that doesn’t change?
Use the keyboard shortcuts. TODAY() and NOW() always update, so they aren’t good for permanent timestamps.
Can Excel add a date automatically when I type in a cell?
Not without a formula workaround or a macro. Most people press Ctrl + ; in the next column when entering a record.
How do I calculate the number of days between two dates?
Subtract them, such as =B2-A2, and format the result as a number. For workdays only, use =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2).
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.