NOW

See Also

Returns the serial number of the current date and time.

Syntax

NOW( )

Remarks

• Dates are stored as sequential serial numbers so they can be used in calculations. By default, December 31, 1899 is serial number 1, and January 1, 2008 is serial number 39448 because it is 39,448 days after January 1, 1900.

• Numbers to the right of the decimal point in the serial number represent the time; numbers to the left represent the date. For example, the serial number .5 represents the time 12:00 noon.
• The NOW function changes only when the sheet is calculated. It is not updated continuously.

Note  If you want to change the display of the result from a serial number to a date format or vice versa, select the cell and click Commands and Options on the toolbar. Click the Format tab and then select the format you want in the Number Format box. To view the date as a serial number, apply the General number format.