The simplest way to insert today's time

To add the current time to an Excel cell, type =NOW() and press Enter. This puts both the date and time in that cell. If you want only the time without the date, type =TIME(hour, minute, second) instead — for example, =TIME(14, 30, 0) gives you 2:30 PM.

The NOW() function updates automatically every time you open or recalculate the spreadsheet. If you need a time that stays fixed and does not change, you have a different option: press Ctrl+Shift+; (semicolon) on Windows or Cmd+; on Mac, and Excel inserts the current time as a static value that will not update later.

Excel stores time as a decimal number between 0 and 1, where 0.5 equals noon. This is why times sometimes appear as decimals like 0.708333 instead of a readable time. The fix is straightforward: select the cell and format it as time, which we cover in the next section.

Key Takeaways

  • Type =NOW() to insert the current date and time, or =TIME(hour, minute, second) to enter a specific time you choose.
  • Press Ctrl+Shift+; on Windows (or Cmd+; on Mac) to insert the current time as a fixed value that will not change when you reopen the file.
  • If time appears as a decimal like 0.708333, right-click the cell, select Format Cells, choose Time from the Category list, and click OK.
  • The NOW() function recalculates every time you open the spreadsheet or press F9, so use it only when you want the time to update automatically.

Formatting time so it displays correctly

When you enter a time formula, Excel may show it as a decimal instead of a readable time like 2:30 PM. This happens because Excel stores all times as numbers behind the scenes. To fix this, right-click the cell containing the time and select Format Cells from the menu that appears.

In the Format Cells window, click the Number tab at the top. On the left side under Category, click Time. You will see a list of time formats — pick the one that matches what you want (for example, 1:30 PM or 13:30). Click OK and the cell will display the time in that format.

If you are working in Excel Online (the web version), right-click the cell, select Format cells, then choose Time from the dropdown menu. The process is the same, just with slightly different wording.

Using NOW() versus TIME() versus static entry

The NOW() function is best when you want the spreadsheet to always show the current time. It recalculates whenever you open the file or press F9 (the recalculate key). Use this if you are tracking when something happened right now, or if you want a timestamp that updates automatically.

The TIME() function is for entering a specific time you already know. If you want to record that a meeting happened at 3:45 PM, type =TIME(15, 45, 0). This time will never change unless you edit the formula. The numbers go in order: hour (0–23 in 24-hour format), minute (0–59), and second (0–59).

If you want a time that does not update, press Ctrl+Shift+; on Windows or Cmd+; on Mac instead of typing a formula. This inserts the current time as a fixed value. It will not change when you reopen the file, unlike NOW(). Use this when you need a permanent record of when you created or edited something.

Adding time to a column of dates

If you have a column of dates and want to add a time to each one, put your time formula in the cell next to the first date. For example, if your date is in cell A1, click cell B1 and type =A1+TIME(9, 0, 0) to add 9:00 AM to that date. This creates a combined date and time in cell B1.

To copy this formula down to all your other rows, click cell B1, then drag the small square at the bottom-right corner of the cell down to the last row you need. Excel will automatically adjust the formula for each row. If you have many rows, double-click that small square instead of dragging — Excel will copy the formula down to match however many rows have data in column A.

If you want to add the same time to every date in the column, use the same approach: put the formula in the first cell next to your dates, then copy it down. Excel will add that same time to each date automatically.

Calculating the difference between two times

To find how much time passed between two events, subtract the earlier time from the later time. If one time is in cell A1 and another is in cell B1, type =B1-A1 in a new cell. Excel will show the difference as a decimal (for example, 0.5 means 12 hours).

To display this difference as hours and minutes instead of a decimal, right-click the result cell and select Format Cells. Click the Number tab, choose Time from the Category list, and pick a format that shows hours and minutes. Click OK. Now the difference will display as something like 12:30 instead of 0.520833.

If you want the result in hours only (like 12.5 hours instead of 12:30), multiply the difference by 24. Type =(B1-A1)*24 and format the cell as a number instead of time. This gives you the total hours as a decimal.

Troubleshooting common time problems

If your time formula shows an error like #VALUE!, you likely typed the formula wrong or used text instead of numbers. Check that you spelled NOW() correctly (with parentheses), and if you are using TIME(), make sure the hour, minute, and second are separated by commas and are whole numbers.

If the time displays as a long decimal like 0.708333, the cell is formatted as a number instead of time. Right-click the cell, select Format Cells, choose Time from the Category list, and click OK. The time will then display in a readable format.

If NOW() is not updating when you expect it to, remember that it only recalculates when you open the file or press F9. It does not update in real time while the file is open. If you need a live clock, Excel cannot do that — you would need a different tool.

If you pasted a time from another program and it shows as text (usually left-aligned in the cell instead of right-aligned), Excel is treating it as words, not a number. Select the cell, go to the Data menu, click Text to Columns, click Next twice, set the Column data format to Time, and click Finish. This converts the text to a real time value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make NOW() stop updating?

Yes. Copy the cell with NOW(), right-click it, select Paste Special, click Values, and click OK. This replaces the formula with the current date and time as a fixed number that will not change. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+; to insert a static time without using a formula at all.

How do I add hours to a time?

Type =A1+TIME(hours, 0, 0) where A1 is your starting time and hours is the number of hours you want to add. For example, =A1+TIME(8, 0, 0) adds 8 hours. If you want to add hours and minutes, use =A1+TIME(8, 30, 0) to add 8 hours and 30 minutes.

Why does my time show as 12:00 AM when I use TIME(0, 0, 0)?

TIME(0, 0, 0) is midnight, which displays as 12:00 AM in 12-hour format. If you want a different time, change the first number to the hour you need. TIME(9, 0, 0) is 9:00 AM, and TIME(14, 0, 0) is 2:00 PM in 24-hour format.

Can I round a time to the nearest 15 minutes?

Yes. Use the formula =ROUND(A1*96, 0)/96 where A1 is your time. This rounds to the nearest 15-minute interval. For 30-minute intervals, use =ROUND(A1*48, 0)/48. The number 96 comes from dividing 24 hours into 15-minute blocks (24 × 4 = 96).