How to use the TODAY function
Author: Oscar Cronquist Article last updated on May 09, 2022
The TODAY function returns the Excel date (serial number) of the current date.
Warning! This function is volatile meaning it recalculates every time the workbook recalculates.
This may slow down your workbook calculations considerably if there are many formulas that depend on the TODAY function.
Excel Function Syntax
TODAY()
Arguments
The TODAY function has no arguments
Comments
The Excel date the TODAY function returns is a serial number that Excel recognizes and can be filtered, sorted and used in other date calculations.
Excel dates are actually serial numbers formatted as dates, 1/1/1900 is 1 and 2/2/2018 is 43133. There are 43132 days between 2/2/2018 and 1/1/1900.
You can try this yourself, type 10000 in a cell, press CTRL + 1 and change the cell's formatting to date, press with left mouse button on OK. The cell now shows 5/18/1927.
'TODAY' function examples
The following 8 articles contain the TODAY function.
Calculate date given weekday and week number
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This article demonstrates a formula that returns a date based on a week number and a weekday like Sun to […]
Calendar – monthly view
This article describes how to build a calendar showing all days in a chosen month with corresponding scheduled events. What's […]
This article describes how to build a calendar showing all days in a chosen month with corresponding scheduled events. What's […]
Excel calendar [VBA]
This workbook contains two worksheets, one worksheet shows a calendar and the other worksheet is used to store events. The […]
This workbook contains two worksheets, one worksheet shows a calendar and the other worksheet is used to store events. The […]
Highlight a date occuring [Conditional formatting]
Excel has a built-in feature that allows you to highlight dates if a given condition is met. Section 1 below […]
Excel has a built-in feature that allows you to highlight dates if a given condition is met. Section 1 below […]
Highlight current date
Cell range B3:B14 has conditional formatting applied, the formula checks if the date is today. Conditional formatting formula: =TODAY()=B3 A […]
Cell range B3:B14 has conditional formatting applied, the formula checks if the date is today. Conditional formatting formula: =TODAY()=B3 A […]
How to track sector performance in the stock market – Excel template
The image above shows the performance across industry groups for different date ranges, conditional formatting makes the table much easier […]
The image above shows the performance across industry groups for different date ranges, conditional formatting makes the table much easier […]
Shift Schedule
Geoff asks: Hi Oscar, I have a cross reference table we use for shift scheduling. The x-axis is comprised of […]
Geoff asks: Hi Oscar, I have a cross reference table we use for shift scheduling. The x-axis is comprised of […]
Yet another Excel Calendar
What's on this page How to use this Excel Calendar How to add events How I built this calendar Worksheet […]
What's on this page How to use this Excel Calendar How to add events How I built this calendar Worksheet […]
Functions in 'Date and Time' category
The TODAY function function is one of many functions in the 'Date and Time' category.
Returns a number that acts as a date in the Excel environment.
Returns the number of days, months, or years between two dates. The DATEDIF function exists in order to ensure compatibility with Louts 1-2-3.
Returns an Excel date value (serial number) based on a date stored as text.
Extracts the day as a number from an Excel date.
Calculates the number of days between two dates.
Returns a date determined by a start date and a number representing how many months.
Returns an Excel date for the last day of a given month using a number and a start date.
Returns an integer representing the hour of an Excel time value.
Returns a whole number representing the minute based on an Excel time value. The returned number is ranging from 0 to 59.
Extracts the month as a number from an Excel date.
Returns the number of working days between two dates, excluding weekends. It also allows you to ignore a list of holiday dates that you can specify.
Calculates the number of working days between two dates, excluding weekends.
Returns the current date and time.
Returns an integer representing the second based on an Excel time value
Returns a decimal value between 0 (zero) representing 12:00:00 AM and 0.99988426 representing 11:59:59 P.M.
Returns a decimal number based on a text string.
Returns the Excel date (serial number) of the current date.
Converts a date to a weekday number from 1 to 7.
Calculates a given date's week number based on a return_type parameter that determines which day the week begins.
Returns a date based on a start date and a given number of working days (nonweekend and nonholidays).
Converts a date to a number representing the year in the date.
Returns the fraction of the year based on the number of whole days between a start date and an end date.
Excel function categories
Excel functions that let you resize, combine, and shape arrays.
Functions for backward compatibility with earlier Excel versions. Compatibility functions are replaced with newer functions with improved accuracy. Use the new functions if compatibility isn't required.
Perform basic operations to a database-like structure.
Functions that let you perform calculations to Excel date and time values.
Let's you manipulate binary numbers, convert values between different numeral systems, and calculate imaginary numbers.
Calculate present value, interest, accumulated interest, principal, accumulated principal, depreciation, payment, price, growth, yield for securities, and other financial calculations.
Functions that let you get information from a cell, formatting, formula, worksheet, workbook, filepath, and other entitites.
Functions that let you return and manipulate logical values, and also control formula calculations based on logical expressions.
These functions let you sort, lookup, get external data like stock quotes, filter values based a condition or criteria, and get the relative position of a given value in a specific cell range. They also let you calculate row, column, and other properties of cell references.
You will find functions in this category that calculates random values, round numerical values, create sequential numbers, trigonometry, and more.
Calculate distributions, binomial distributions, exponential distribution, probabilities, variance, covariance, confidence interval, frequency, geometric mean, standard deviation, average, median, and other statistical metrics.
Functions that let you manipulate text values, substitute strings, find string in value, extract a substring in a string, convert characters to ANSI code among other functions.
Get data from the internet, extract data from an XML string and more.
Excel categories
Latest updated articles.
More than 300 Excel functions with detailed information including syntax, arguments, return values, and examples for most of the functions used in Excel formulas.
More than 1300 formulas organized in subcategories.
Excel Tables simplifies your work with data, adding or removing data, filtering, totals, sorting, enhance readability using cell formatting, cell references, formulas, and more.
Allows you to filter data based on selected value , a given text, or other criteria. It also lets you filter existing data or move filtered values to a new location.
Lets you control what a user can type into a cell. It allows you to specifiy conditions and show a custom message if entered data is not valid.
Lets the user work more efficiently by showing a list that the user can select a value from. This lets you control what is shown in the list and is faster than typing into a cell.
Lets you name one or more cells, this makes it easier to find cells using the Name box, read and understand formulas containing names instead of cell references.
The Excel Solver is a free add-in that uses objective cells, constraints based on formulas on a worksheet to perform what-if analysis and other decision problems like permutations and combinations.
An Excel feature that lets you visualize data in a graph.
Format cells or cell values based a condition or criteria, there a multiple built-in Conditional Formatting tools you can use or use a custom-made conditional formatting formula.
Lets you quickly summarize vast amounts of data in a very user-friendly way. This powerful Excel feature lets you then analyze, organize and categorize important data efficiently.
VBA stands for Visual Basic for Applications and is a computer programming language developed by Microsoft, it allows you to automate time-consuming tasks and create custom functions.
A program or subroutine built in VBA that anyone can create. Use the macro-recorder to quickly create your own VBA macros.
UDF stands for User Defined Functions and is custom built functions anyone can create.
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