Today in Google Sheets: How the TODAY Function Works

To show today’s date in Google Sheets, enter =TODAY() in a cell and press Enter. The function returns the current date, without a time, and updates when the spreadsheet recalculates; it is not a clock that refreshes continuously.

What TODAY Does

TODAY is a Google Sheets date function with no required arguments. In any empty cell, enter =TODAY(). The result represents the current date according to the spreadsheet’s settings, although the way it appears depends on the cell’s number format. It may display as 11/3/2026, 3/11/2026, or another valid date style.

Sheets stores dates as numbers behind the scenes, which lets a date returned by TODAY take part in calculations and comparisons. It is different from typing the word “today” or a date as ordinary text: a real date value can be subtracted from another date, sorted chronologically, or used in a date-based rule.

TODAY returns a date only. If you need the current date and time, use NOW() instead. Both functions update through recalculation, so neither should be treated as a continuously updating timer or as a permanent record of when an event occurred.

How to Enter and Format Today’s Date

Click a cell, type =TODAY(), and press Enter. To choose how the date looks, select the cell and use Format > Number > Date. For more control, choose Format > Number > Custom date and time and select a format such as a month name followed by the day and year.

Formatting changes the display, not the underlying date value. For example, a cell can show “November 3, 2026” while remaining usable in arithmetic. If a result appears as a large number, the formula may still be correct: select the cell and apply a date format. If it displays a date in an unexpected order, check the spreadsheet’s locale as well as its number format.

A formula result is not the same as a fixed date entry. If a report needs to preserve the date it was created, copy the TODAY cell and use Edit > Paste special > Values only to replace the formula with its current value. Otherwise, the formula can show a later date when the sheet recalculates.

Why and When the Date Updates

TODAY is a volatile function: its result can change when Google Sheets recalculates the spreadsheet. It does not necessarily change at midnight on screen, and it will not tick forward every second. Recalculation settings determine how often Sheets refreshes such formulas.

To review those settings, open File > Settings and look under the Calculation tab. Depending on the available choices, recalculation can be set to occur on change, on change and every minute, or on change and every hour. More frequent recalculation can be useful for a live tracker, but it may be unnecessary in a large workbook with many formulas.

A displayed date can also depend on the spreadsheet’s time zone. In File > Settings, review the time zone under the general settings. A sheet used by people in different regions may not agree with every viewer’s local calendar date at the same moment. The spreadsheet’s time zone and locale are particularly worth checking when a date changes near midnight or appears in a different order than expected.

Practical Deadline and Date Calculations

Because TODAY returns a date value, it can help calculate days remaining, label deadlines, and create rolling date ranges. These examples assume the sheet is showing November 3, 2026; the results change as the actual current date changes.

Days until a deadline: with a due date in cell A2, enter =A2-TODAY() in B2. If A2 contains November 10, 2026, the result is 7. A negative result means the due date has passed.
Label a task’s status: with a task due date in A2, enter =IF(A2<TODAY(),"Overdue",IF(A2=TODAY(),"Due today","Upcoming")) in B2. A date before November 3 returns Overdue, November 3 returns Due today, and a later date returns Upcoming.
Find a date 30 days from today: in any empty cell, enter =TODAY()+30. With the example date, the result is December 3, 2026. Format the result as a date if it appears as a number.
Find the last day of this month: in any empty cell, enter =EOMONTH(TODAY(),0). With the example date, the result is November 30, 2026.

For a task list, the remaining-days calculation is useful as a starting point, but it is not a complete status system by itself. Decide how to handle completed tasks, blank due dates, and deadlines that fall today. For instance, a blank cell in a subtraction formula can behave like zero and produce a misleading result. You can add checks for blank cells or completion status when designing a tracker.

Highlight Dates Automatically

Conditional formatting can make deadlines easier to scan without adding a status formula to every row. Select a range such as A2:A100, then choose Format > Conditional formatting. Under the rule options, choose Custom formula is, enter =AND($A2<>"",$A2<TODAY()), and select a formatting style. The rule highlights nonblank dates before today.

The dollar sign fixes the column reference while allowing the row number to adjust for each cell in the selected range. If you want to highlight dates due today instead, use =$A2=TODAY() as the custom formula. Set the range and the formula’s row reference to match: for a range beginning at A5, use a reference beginning with A5 rather than A2.

Rules only behave as expected when the cells contain actual date values. Text that looks like a date may not compare correctly with TODAY. If a rule misses dates, inspect the source values and check their number format and locale before assuming the conditional-formatting formula is at fault.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

The date does not change immediately. TODAY updates when the sheet recalculates, not continuously. Check File > Settings > Calculation if you need more frequent updates.
The cell shows a number. Apply a date format with Format > Number > Date. The stored value may be valid even if the display format is not what you expected.
The result is off by a day. Review the spreadsheet time zone in File > Settings, especially if the workbook is shared across regions or viewed near midnight.
A date comparison does not work. Imported dates may be text rather than date values. Check the source data and locale, and convert or re-enter values as real dates before relying on comparisons.
A saved report keeps changing. That is expected for a formula. Paste the result as values only when you need a fixed date for a historical record.

A common misconception is that TODAY records when a row was created. It does not: it reports the current date whenever it recalculates. A task entered on Monday can show Tuesday’s date later if its cell contains =TODAY(). For an audit trail or an unchanging entry date, use a fixed value or a purpose-built data-entry process rather than a live date formula.

Google Sheets and Excel

The basic function is the same in Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel: =TODAY() returns the current date, and =NOW() returns the current date and time. The core arithmetic examples also work in both programs. The main differences for a Sheets user are the interface and the workbook’s cloud-based settings: use Google Sheets menus such as Format > Number and File > Settings rather than Excel’s ribbon and application options.

In either spreadsheet, TODAY is suitable for a live view such as “days until due,” but not by itself for a permanent timestamp. Also, collaborators may see different-looking date formats if their spreadsheet locale or display choices differ, even when they are looking at the same underlying date value.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the formula for today’s date in Google Sheets?
Enter =TODAY() in a cell. It takes no arguments and returns the current date as a date value.

How do I show today’s date without the time?
Use =TODAY(). Unlike =NOW(), it returns a date without a time component.

Does TODAY update automatically in Google Sheets?
It updates when the spreadsheet recalculates, according to the calculation settings. It is not a continuously refreshing clock, so check File > Settings > Calculation if refresh timing matters.

How can I keep today’s date from changing?
Copy the formula cell, then choose Edit > Paste special > Values only. This replaces the live formula with the date value currently displayed.

Why does TODAY show the wrong date?
Check the spreadsheet’s time zone and locale under File > Settings, then check the cell’s date format. A text value that merely looks like a date can also cause confusing comparisons.

Can TODAY calculate how many days are left?
Yes. If the deadline is in A2, =A2-TODAY() returns the number of days between today and that date. A negative result indicates a past deadline.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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