Excel Day Today: Find Today’s Date and Day Number

Today is Monday, November 2, 2026. In Excel for Microsoft 365, enter =TODAY() in a cell to display today’s date; to show the day of the month as a number, enter =DAY(TODAY()), which returns 2 today. The first formula returns a date, while the second extracts its day number.

Get today’s date or day number

Use =TODAY() when you want a cell to show the current date and update as the date changes. It has no arguments, so it can go in any blank cell. Excel reads the date from the computer’s system clock and displays it using the cell’s number format and regional settings. If the cell is formatted as a date, you might see November 2, 2026; a different regional format could show 2/11/2026 or 11/2/2026.

Use =DAY(TODAY()) when you need only the day within the month. It returns a number from 1 to 31, not the weekday name. On November 2, 2026, the result is 2. To show the full date as fixed text rather than a live date, you can type the date directly into a cell, such as 11/2/2026, and check that Excel interprets it as a date in your regional format.

These formulas answer different questions:

=TODAY() returns today’s date.
=DAY(TODAY()) returns the day of the month.
A weekday formula tells you whether the date is Monday, Tuesday, or another day of the week.

What “day” means in an Excel date

People use “day” to mean several things: the calendar date, the numbered day of the month, the weekday, or the day’s position in the year. Excel treats these as related but distinct values. A date is stored as a number, and its number format controls how that value appears. That is why a date cell can display as a full date, a short date, or a weekday name without changing the underlying date.

For example, November 2, 2026 is the 2nd day of the month, a Monday, and the 306th day of the year. A formula that extracts the month day will not tell you it is Monday. Likewise, changing the date’s display format to show “Monday” does not convert the underlying value into plain text; it remains a date that can be used in calculations.

This distinction matters when building schedules and reports. A due-date column should generally contain real Excel dates, not strings that merely look like dates. Real dates can be sorted chronologically, compared, used in formulas, and formatted in different ways. Text dates can sort incorrectly or fail in date calculations, particularly when a workbook is opened on a computer with different regional settings.

Useful formulas for today

Choose a formula based on the result you actually need. Put each one in a blank cell; no special cell layout is required unless noted.

Current date: In any blank cell, enter =TODAY(). On the date used for this example, it returns November 2, 2026, subject to the workbook’s display format.
Day of the month: In any blank cell, enter =DAY(TODAY()). It returns 2 on November 2, 2026.
Weekday name: In any blank cell, enter =TEXT(TODAY(),"dddd"). It returns Monday on November 2, 2026. The spelling and language of the result can depend on Excel’s language and regional settings.
Weekday number, Monday first: In any blank cell, enter =WEEKDAY(TODAY(),2). It returns 1 for Monday, 2 for Tuesday, through 7 for Sunday; for this example the result is 1.
Day of the year: In any blank cell, enter =TODAY()-DATE(YEAR(TODAY()),1,0). It returns 306 for November 2, 2026. This counts January 1 as day 1, including in leap years.

These are dynamic formulas: when Excel recalculates them on a later date, their results change. If you need yesterday’s or tomorrow’s date, add or subtract one from the date formula. For instance, placing =TODAY()+1 in a blank cell returns tomorrow’s date. The result is still a date value, so it can be displayed in a date format.

Find the weekday and understand weekday numbering

The WEEKDAY function returns a number, and its optional second argument determines how Excel numbers the week. With the argument 2, Monday is 1 and Sunday is 7. This arrangement is often convenient for work schedules that treat Monday as the start of the week. Without a second argument, Excel uses Sunday as 1 and Saturday as 7. That difference can make a formula appear wrong if you compare its number with a calendar using a Monday-first week.

For a readable weekday name, =TEXT(TODAY(),"dddd") formats the date as a full name; using the format code "ddd" gives an abbreviated name such as Mon. TEXT returns text, however, rather than a date value. Keep the original date in a separate cell if you also need to sort, compare, or calculate with it.

For a date in another cell, reference that cell instead of TODAY. With a date in A2, for example, =WEEKDAY(A2,2) returns its Monday-first weekday number. The date in A2 must be a real Excel date value for this to work reliably. If it is stored as text, convert it to a date or correct the source data first.

Format the result without changing the date

If =TODAY() displays a number such as 46328 rather than a familiar date, the formula may still be working. Excel stores dates as serial numbers and uses cell formatting to present them as dates. Select the cell, then use Home > Number Format and choose a date format. You can also open Format Cells with Ctrl+1 on Windows or Command+1 on Mac, choose Number, and select a date category.

For a custom display, open Format Cells, choose Custom, and enter a format such as d for the day number without a leading zero, dd for a two-digit day, ddd for an abbreviated weekday, or dddd for the full weekday. A format changes what you see, not the date stored in the cell. For example, formatting today’s date as dddd displays Monday, but the cell still holds November 2, 2026.

Formatting can also explain why a date appears to be missing. A narrow column may show hash marks, or a number format may show only a portion of the value. Widen the column or select a standard date format before concluding that the formula has returned an error.

When TODAY updates—and when it does not

TODAY() is a volatile function: Excel can recalculate it when the workbook recalculates. It is not a permanent timestamp and should not be used when a record must preserve the date it was entered. It also does not guarantee that a cell visibly changes at exactly midnight; the workbook needs to recalculate, and the computer’s date and time settings must be correct.

If the result seems stale, check Formulas > Calculation Options and select Automatic if appropriate. You can also recalculate with F9 on Windows. On Mac, use Fn+F9 when the function keys are set to control hardware features; the exact key behavior can depend on keyboard settings. Reopening a workbook also commonly triggers recalculation. In Excel for the web, formulas recalculate in the workbook, though display and timing can depend on the browser session and calculation state.

Because TODAY changes, avoid using it as a permanent “created on” value in an audit trail, receipt, or dated log. Enter a fixed date when that is what the record requires. A live formula is useful for dashboards, deadlines, and daily summaries; a fixed value is useful when historical evidence must not roll forward.

Common problems and quick checks

If the formula appears as text instead of calculating, the cell may be formatted as Text, or the entry may begin with an apostrophe. Change the format to General, then re-enter the formula. Make sure there is an equals sign at the start and no leading space or apostrophe preventing Excel from treating it as a formula.

If the result is a serial number, apply a date format as described above. If the result is not today’s actual date, verify the computer’s system date and time, then check the workbook’s calculation mode. If a weekday formula gives an unexpected number, check its second argument: WEEKDAY(date,2) numbers Monday as 1, while the default numbering starts on Sunday.

If a date imported from another system will not calculate, it may be text. A useful check is to select the cell and inspect its alignment or try changing its number format; a number format will not turn text into a real date. Import settings, delimiters, and regional date order can affect conversion. For example, 03/04/2026 could mean March 4 or April 3 depending on locale, so confirm the source convention rather than guessing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is today’s date in Excel?
For the date in this article, it is Monday, November 2, 2026. Enter =TODAY() to have Excel display the current date according to the computer’s system clock; the result will update when the workbook recalculates on a later date.

How do I get only the day number in Excel?
Enter =DAY(TODAY()) in a blank cell to return the day of the month. It returns 2 on November 2, 2026. This is different from the weekday number, which identifies Monday, Tuesday, and so on.

How do I show today’s weekday in Excel?
Enter =TEXT(TODAY(),"dddd") to display the full weekday name, or use the number format dddd on a date cell. The TEXT formula returns text; formatting a date cell preserves its underlying date value.

Why does Excel show a number instead of today’s date?
Excel stores dates as serial numbers. Select the formula cell and choose a date style from Home > Number Format, or use Format Cells to set a date format. The number is often the valid stored date, not a formula error.

Does TODAY() update automatically every day?
It updates when Excel recalculates the workbook, rather than serving as a fixed entry-time stamp. Automatic calculation is usually the expected setting, but check Formulas > Calculation Options if the displayed result does not refresh. A computer with an incorrect system date can also produce an incorrect result.

Choosing the right approach

For most everyday sheets, start with =TODAY() and format the cell as a date. Use =DAY(TODAY()) only if the month’s numbered day is what you need, and choose WEEKDAY or TEXT when you need a weekday. In a workbook that records events, decide whether the date should keep changing or remain fixed before choosing a formula. That small distinction prevents a live dashboard date from accidentally replacing the historical date a log is meant to preserve.

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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