The NOW function
The date and time of the moment, which change at every recalculation. To timestamp an entry, you need a value, not this formula.
Syntax
=NOW()
In a French Excel: =MAINTENANT().
Arguments
- No argument.
An example
=NOW()-A2
The time elapsed since the timestamp in A2, in [h]:mm format.
Pitfalls
- Volatile: it recalculates on every change to the workbook.
- To timestamp, Ctrl+Shift+: types the time as a fixed value.
Going further
Frequently asked questions
- How do I show only the time?
- Cell format hh:mm; or
=MOD(NOW(),1)to keep only the time part.