How it works.
The TODAY function is a volatile formula that retrieves the current system date and displays it in the cell. It automatically updates every time the worksheet is opened or recalculated.
💡 In simple terms.
Returns the current date. It updates itself automatically every single day.
Analogy
"Think of this like a digital calendar on your wall. Every single morning, it automatically flips to show today's date."
Syntax guide.
=TODAY()
Interactive formula builder.
Fill in the input arguments below to construct your custom formula string. Copy it directly to paste into your Excel spreadsheets.
Generated Output
Best Practices
- TODAY is excellent for calculating age, duration, or days remaining (e.g. `=A2 - TODAY()` calculates days until a deadline date in A2).
- If you need both the date and current system time, use `=NOW()` instead.
Common Gotchas
- TODAY is a volatile function. It can slow down large spreadsheets because it forces a recalculation of the entire sheet every time *any* cell changes.
- Do not use TODAY if you want a permanent timestamp that stays fixed.