Excel Keyboard Shortcut to Insert Today’s Date

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, press Ctrl+; (Control plus the semicolon key) to insert today’s date into the selected cell. The shortcut enters a fixed date value, not a formula that updates tomorrow.

The Excel shortcut and what it inserts

To use the shortcut, select a worksheet cell and press Ctrl+;. Excel enters the current date according to your computer’s system date. It is a practical way to stamp a report, record when a task was completed, or add a date beside a note without typing the numbers yourself.

The result is a date value in the cell, rather than a date-looking string you have manually typed. Excel stores dates as serial numbers so it can sort them chronologically, calculate elapsed time, and apply different date formats. The cell usually displays the inserted value as a date, but its display depends on the cell’s number format. The underlying value does not change just because you later choose a different display format.

This is a static entry. If you insert a date on November 2 and reopen the workbook on November 3, the cell still contains November 2. That behavior is useful for a timestamp that should preserve when you made an entry. If you instead need a cell to always show the current date, use a formula such as TODAY; the distinction is covered below.

How to enter the date step by step

Click the cell where the date should appear. If you are editing text inside a cell, press Escape or Enter to leave edit mode, then select the target cell.
Press Ctrl+;. On a typical US keyboard, the semicolon is the key beside L; do not press Shift to produce a colon.
Check the displayed date. Press Enter if you want to confirm the entry and move to the next cell, or click elsewhere to continue working.

The shortcut works in a normal worksheet cell. You can also use it while entering a row of records: move to the date column, insert the date, and continue filling the other fields. It does not require a ribbon command, a menu, or a formula. If your keyboard layout puts the semicolon in a different place, use the key combination that produces the semicolon character in Excel.

Be deliberate about the selected cell. The shortcut writes into the active cell, so it can replace existing content. If a cell already contains a value, check that you have selected the intended blank cell before using it.

Fixed date versus an automatically updating date

A common question is whether Ctrl+; updates automatically. It does not: the inserted date is a fixed value. That makes it different from a formula, which Excel recalculates according to its calculation settings. Choose between the two based on what the date means in your workbook.

Use the shortcut for an entry date, approval date, completion date, or other historical record that should remain unchanged.
Use a formula when the cell should display the current date whenever the workbook recalculates.
Use a date and time entry when you need a fixed timestamp rather than a date alone.

With the worksheet intended to show the current date in cell A1, enter =TODAY() in A1. It returns the current date, with no time component. The displayed result may still include a time if the cell has a date-and-time number format, so choose a date-only format if that is what you want. TODAY is useful for a dashboard or a calculation based on the present day, but it is not an audit trail: its result can change when Excel recalculates.

With the worksheet intended to show the current date and time in cell A1, enter =NOW() in A1. NOW returns both, although the visible time depends on the cell format. It also recalculates, so it is not a reliable way to preserve the exact time a particular record was first created. For a permanent record, insert a fixed value instead.

Adding a time or a combined timestamp

In Excel desktop for Windows, Ctrl+Shift+; inserts the current time as a fixed value. Like the date shortcut, it uses the computer’s system clock and does not keep updating. The cell’s number format determines whether seconds are visible. If you only see a date or a decimal-looking number, the value may be present but displayed with an unsuitable format.

To insert a fixed date and time in one cell on Windows, press Ctrl+;, press the Space bar, then press Ctrl+Shift+;. The space separates the date and time in the entry. This is helpful for a log where a single timestamp is more useful than separate date and time columns. Check the resulting number format; you may need to display both parts clearly.

A date-only value and a date-and-time value are not interchangeable in every task. For example, subtracting two date-time values can give elapsed time as a fraction of a day, while subtracting date-only values gives the number of days between them. When time matters, make sure the cells show enough detail to distinguish events that occurred on the same date.

Formatting the inserted date

Formatting changes how Excel displays the date; it does not normally change the date itself. A cell might show 11/2/2026, 2-Nov-2026, or November 2, 2026, depending on its number format and regional settings. Pick a style that is clear to the people who will read the workbook. Numeric dates can be ambiguous across regions because month and day order varies.

To change the display, select the cell and use the Number Format dropdown on the Home tab. Choose a date style, or open Format Cells and select a suitable date or custom format. In a custom format, for example, d-mmm-yyyy displays a day number, abbreviated month name, and four-digit year. A format using m/d/yy is shorter, but can be harder to interpret internationally.

If a cell shows a number such as 46328 instead of a familiar date, Excel may be displaying the stored date serial rather than a date format. Apply a date number format to see it as a calendar date. Conversely, if a date appears as a row of hash marks, the column may simply be too narrow; widen it or use a shorter date format. These display issues do not necessarily mean the shortcut failed.

There is also an important distinction between changing a display and changing stored data. Applying a date format to a text string does not always turn that text into a usable date value. If sorting or date arithmetic does not behave as expected, check whether the cell contains a genuine Excel date value rather than text.

Common problems and quick checks

The shortcut types a character or does nothing: Confirm that Excel, rather than another app or a dialog box, has focus. Check the keyboard layout and use the semicolon key, not the colon. Laptop function or keyboard layers can also affect which key combination reaches Excel.
The cell shows an unexpected number: Change the cell’s number format to a date format. A date is stored numerically, and a General or Number format can expose that serial value.
The displayed date is off by a day: Check the computer’s system date, time zone, and regional date settings. The shortcut relies on the system date, so it cannot correct an inaccurate clock or calendar.
The date is not updating: That is expected for Ctrl+;. It inserts a fixed value. Use TODAY if you need a formula that can recalculate to the current date.
The entry appears as text: Inspect the cell format and how the value was entered. A cell formatted as Text can affect entries. Set the cell to General or a date format before entering the value, then insert the date again if needed.

For a workbook shared across countries, consider using an unambiguous display such as 2-Nov-2026 rather than 11/2/2026. The underlying date can be the same while readers interpret numeric month/day order differently. Consistent formatting also makes a column easier to scan and sort.

Windows, Mac, and Excel for the web

This page focuses on Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows. In Excel for Mac, the date shortcut is also commonly Control+;, and the time shortcut is Control+Shift+;. Mac keyboards and regional layouts vary, so if the shortcut is intercepted or produces another character, check Excel’s keyboard shortcut help for the current version and keyboard layout. Do not assume that the Command key replaces Control for this particular shortcut.

Excel for the web supports many familiar Excel shortcuts, but the browser and operating system can affect keyboard combinations. If Ctrl+; does not enter the date in the web app, use the formula bar to enter a date or try Excel’s ribbon and help for the browser-specific shortcut behavior. Avoid using a browser command that changes focus or invokes a browser feature by mistake. The desktop shortcut instructions are most dependable when you are working in the Windows desktop app.

When a shortcut is not the best option

The keyboard shortcut is fast for an occasional fixed date, but it is not always the right design for a shared workbook. If users need to choose from a controlled set of dates, a validated input process may be more appropriate. If a report needs a date that always tracks today, a formula is more suitable. If an entry must record who made it and exactly when, a simple date cell alone does not provide that full audit history.

For a small manual log, separate date and time columns can make filtering easier. For example, one column can contain the fixed date and another the fixed time. A combined timestamp is compact, but users may find separate fields easier to filter by day or to format independently. The best layout depends on how the workbook will be searched, summarized, and maintained.

Also consider whether a date should be entered once or recalculated. A completion date should generally stay fixed after the task is completed; a report header may need to reflect the current day each time it opens. Choosing the correct method at the start prevents a common confusion: a formula that changes is not a substitute for a historical timestamp, and a fixed shortcut entry is not a live calendar date.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Excel shortcut to insert today’s date?
In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select a cell and press Ctrl+;. Excel inserts the current system date as a fixed value.

Does Ctrl+; update the date every day?
No. It records the date at the time you use the shortcut. For a date that updates when Excel recalculates, enter =TODAY() in the cell instead.

How do I insert the current time in Excel?
In desktop Excel for Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+; in the selected cell. The time is fixed when entered; formatting controls whether seconds are displayed.

Can I insert both date and time in one cell?
On Windows, press Ctrl+;, then Space, then Ctrl+Shift+;. Check the cell format afterward so both the date and time are visible.

Why does Excel show a number instead of a date?
The cell may be using General or Number formatting, which displays the serial value Excel stores for a date. Apply a date format from the Home tab’s Number Format dropdown.

What is the Mac shortcut for today’s date?
In Excel for Mac, use Control+; on a compatible keyboard layout. The shortcut can vary in practice with keyboard layout or app context, so use Excel’s shortcut help if it is intercepted.

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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