How to Use Excel’s TODAY Function for Dynamic Date Tracking

Need your reports to always reflect today’s date automatically? The TODAY() function is your best friend.

📅 What is the TODAY Function?

TODAY() returns the current date based on your system clock. It updates each day you open or refresh your Excel workbook.

🧪 Syntax:

=TODAY()

No arguments required! It's that simple.

✅ Top Use Cases:

• Report headers: Automatically show the report's generation date.
• Due date reminders: Compare with deadlines using =A1 - TODAY().
• Ageing reports: Calculate how old a record is.
• Dashboards: Add a live "As of Today" tag.

💡 Examples:

• Calculate age: =DATEDIF(B2, TODAY(), "Y") if B2 has the birthdate
• Days remaining: =DUE_DATE - TODAY()
• Highlight past-due items: Use Conditional Formatting with =A1 < TODAY()

⚠️ Things to Remember

• The value updates every day when the file is opened or recalculated.
• It's volatile — overuse in large files may slow things down slightly.
• If you want static values, use Ctrl + ; to insert the current date manually.

📌 Final Thoughts

Using TODAY() is a small but powerful habit for real-time, up-to-date insights in your Excel files. Use it anywhere that needs freshness and automation!

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