Excel is a powerful tool that is widely used in the business world. It can be used for various purposes such as data analysis, accounting, and project management. One of the most common uses of Excel is to keep track of dates. However, typing in the date manually can be time-consuming. In this article, we will show you a shortcut to enter today’s date in Excel.
How to Enter Today’s Date in Excel
The easiest way to enter today’s date in Excel is to use a keyboard shortcut. The shortcut is:
Ctrl + ;
This shortcut will enter the current date in the active cell.
Using Today Function
If you want to enter today’s date in multiple cells, you can use the TODAY function. The TODAY function returns the current date, and it updates automatically every time the worksheet is opened or recalculated.
The syntax of the TODAY function is:
=TODAY()
To use the TODAY function, follow these steps:
- Select the cell where you want to enter the date.
- Type the equal sign (=) followed by TODAY().
- Press Enter.
Customizing the Date Format
If you want to customize the date format, you can use the Format Cells dialog box. To open the Format Cells dialog box, right-click the cell and select Format Cells from the context menu.
In the Format Cells dialog box, you can choose from a variety of date formats, such as:
- Short Date
- Long Date
- Time
- Date and Time
You can also create a custom date format by selecting Custom from the Category list and entering a custom format in the Type box.
Using AutoFill
If you need to enter a series of dates, you can use the AutoFill feature. The AutoFill feature allows you to quickly fill a series of cells with a sequence of dates.
To use AutoFill, follow these steps:
- Type the starting date in the first cell.
- Select the cell and move the mouse pointer to the lower right corner of the cell until the pointer changes to a plus sign (+).
- Click and drag the mouse down to fill the cells with the sequence of dates.
Using Today’s Date in Formulas
You can also use today’s date in formulas to calculate the number of days between two dates or to perform other calculations.
For example, to calculate the number of days between today and a specific date in cell A1, you can use the following formula:
=TODAY()-A1
This formula subtracts the date in cell A1 from today’s date and returns the number of days between the two dates.
Conclusion
Entering today’s date in Excel is simple and can save you a lot of time. By using the keyboard shortcut or the TODAY function, you can quickly enter the current date in your spreadsheet. You can also customize the date format and use AutoFill to fill a series of cells with a sequence of dates. Finally, you can use today’s date in formulas to perform calculations.
