=NOW() returns the current date and time in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor. Its official function reference specifies NOW() without arguments, using an English default display resembling MM/dd/yy hh:mm. This is appropriate for a calculation relative to the current instant; it is not proof of a permanent row-created timestamp. No actual NOW output was observed in this research environment.

=NOW()

Compare NOW() with TODAY(), which is documented for the current date without the displayed time component. For a report that should never change after data entry, use an explicit, stored timestamp instead of an automatically evaluated formula.

Source for syntax and advertised display: ONLYOFFICE NOW. Generic calculation control offers a Calculate workbook command and F9. For any particular web/desktop build, observe when NOW changes rather than asserting that it updates every minute or at file open.

Dynamic =NOW() cannot have a permanently correct printed expected timestamp. To test the arithmetic, create a fixed example clock in B1:

=DATE(2026,10,11)+TIME(14,30,0)

Format B1 as date and time, for example yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm if available in your build and region. This is not a native observation and is not NOW’s true output. The independent reference instant is 2026-10-11 14:30, without claiming a time zone.

Expected datetimes were computed in Python datetime, expected decimal fractions using integer minutes / 1,440, and 2.5 hours using timedelta.total_seconds()/3600. The accompanying CSV records the fixed clock and several checks. Results are independently predicted; none was tested in ONLYOFFICE. As an important display check, a time may appear as 2:30 PM or 14:30 while representing the same conceptual value, depending on locale.

Once the fixture checks pass, replace B1 with =NOW(). The table becomes a rolling report and the expected wall-clock datetimes above will cease to apply. Compare the editor’s displayed result to its environment’s clock during the test, recording the time zone, editor product and version, formula language, and when a recalculation was triggered. Do not compare an old screenshot to an exact current clock value and declare a formula defect without accounting for recalculation and time zone.

1. Elapsed hours since a fixed start timestamp. If cell A2 contains a valid date-time value, =(NOW()-A2)*24 calculates an elapsed duration in hours under the standard date-time serial model; format the result as a Number, not date/time. Without *24, the result is in days. Native ONLYOFFICE runtime behaviour and fractional serial handling are not tested here; the model is an independent assumption to validate with the fixture.

2. Elapsed minutes. =(NOW()-A2)*1440 converts a fractional-day difference into minutes. Use =ROUND((NOW()-A2)*1440,0) only if the specific rounding rule fits your reporting policy; see ONLYOFFICE ROUND to verify syntax separately.

3. Due in the next two hours. If B2 is a time-stamped deadline, =IF(AND(B2>=NOW(),B2<=NOW()+TIME(2,0,0)),"Due soon","Other") includes now and the exact two-hour boundary. This is a time window, not a date-only window.

4. Distinguish past and future timestamps. =IF(A2="","",IF(A2<NOW(),"Past","Not yet")) keeps an empty input row from being classified, but does not freeze the result when the workbook is reopened/recalculated.

5. Extract reporting hour. =HOUR(NOW()) returns the hour component 0–23 according to the ONLYOFFICE HOUR reference. This is not a durable event-log value; record the actual time and zone separately when needed.

The vendor NOW help does not document exact time precision, seconds shown by default, time zone source, or invalid-argument error codes for each release. Don’t infer those from Excel-only examples.

Microsoft Excel also documents NOW() and explains that Excel values are only updated when a sheet is calculated, not continuously. That is Excel-specific timing evidence; ONLYOFFICE’s own general function instructions independently document automatic recalculation on changed data and the F9 workbook recalculation option, but not the same timing contract. Do not promise exact 1-second ticks, deterministic server time, or portable timezone behaviour across ONLYOFFICE Docs 10.0 and Desktop 9.4.

The Insert Functions guide documents English formula examples with an = prefix, function names and commas between arguments. The Advanced Settings guide documents Formula Language, Region, and a workbook 1904 date system option. If your interface uses another formula language or locale, check the actual function picker and pasted formula separators; do not assume the English spelling/display carries over. The 1904 system can change underlying date serials when transferring files; prefer DATE(year,month,day) for explicit-date examples, and verify workbook settings when importing.

• TODAY: date without a displayed time-of-day.

• TIME: reproducible numeric clock value from hour/minute/second parts.

• HOUR and MINUTE: extract time components.

• DATE: construct a stable date for your test fixture.

• NOW

• ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor — function documentation
• TODAY()
• calculation control
• ONLYOFFICE ROUND
• ONLYOFFICE HOUR reference
• Desktop Editors changelog
• Docs 10.0 announcement

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor.

• No genuine ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.