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NOW Function in Microsoft Excel: Syntax, Examples & Compatibility

Date & Time Beginner Microsoft Excel

Learn how to return a live date-and-time value, useful for elapsed-time monitoring in Microsoft Excel. Includes syntax, two verified-by-reasoning results, troubleshooting and portability notes.

Verification status: Official documentation referenced; example outcomes independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where stated. Not executed in Microsoft Excel. How formula examples are checked

Quick answer: return a live date-and-time value, useful for elapsed-time monitoring in Microsoft Excel. The reproducible examples below use explicit values so the formula’s meaning is testable without a large workbook.

Evidence: The function name and syntax are documented in the linked vendor function reference. Expected outputs were independently reasoned or checked outside the application. These are not native Microsoft Excel test results. A guide being published here does not certify every software release or file-import scenario.

Syntax and arguments

=NOW()

NOW has no arguments. Format the output cell as date and time; the stored value includes a fractional day.

Best use case: Return a live date-and-time value, useful for elapsed-time monitoring.

Set up the example sheet

In a blank sheet, format B2 as Date and time, enter the formula, and keep B3 formatted as General to inspect a logical comparison.

Enter the formula in an unused cell. For a formula returning several values, leave an unobstructed area where those values can expand. These formulas use comma argument separators in a typical English-language locale; commas or semicolons inside quoted text are data, not argument separators. Adapt the separator if your regional settings require it.

Worked example 1: NOW with known input

=NOW()

Expected output: the current date and time at calculation.

NOW includes the time of day and is volatile; an unchanged display does not prove the underlying value stayed constant.

Worked example 2: a second NOW case

=NOW()>DATE(2020,1,1)

Expected output: TRUE for dates after 1 January 2020.

Comparing NOW to a fixed 2020 date confirms that the current date/time serial is a newer date, without relying on split-second calculations.

Compare both results before replacing literal values or short sample ranges with your own workbook data. For a spilling formula, compare every output cell, not only the top-left result.

Practical advice and troubleshooting

When this formula helps: For an immutable received-at or completed-at value, enter a static date-time rather than relying on a recalculating NOW formula.

Important edge case: NOW is not guaranteed to update every second. Its refresh depends on application recalculation policy and in Google Sheets on spreadsheet settings.

If the result differs, first verify the text-versus-number types of the input cells, the argument separators for your locale, and the range size. For dynamic arrays, inspect occupied cells in the output area. An error that looks like a missing function may reflect a software version rather than incorrect data.

Compatibility and version considerations

Excel desktop evaluates NOW in its local environment. Google Sheets has its own spreadsheet timezone and recalculation settings.

Check your installed release for availability and dynamic-array support.

Function availability and parameter behavior must be judged for the specific application and release; a function documented in one spreadsheet does not automatically work in another.

Editorial verification: Vendor catalogue referenced as of 2026-10-12. The two example outputs are independently reasoned; no native application run, screenshot, or version-specific output is claimed. Review the editorial testing standards if you require stronger proof before importing a workbook.