Shortcut To Insert Today’s Date in Excel
Preventing The TODAY( ) Function From Changing
This is going to be a brief post, but I came across this today and wanted to share it with everyone. I was over perusing around on the MrExcel forums and someone was asking how to insert today’s date without using the TODAY( ) function. The user did not want to use the TODAY( ) function because he wanted to prevent the date from changing when his files were opened up in the future.
The Solution
Well I thought to myself, “Why don’t you just manually type in the date?” However, Aladin Akyurek (MrExcel MVP) answered back with a hotkey solution that I was unaware of. Aladin recommended using the shortcut key Ctrl + Semi-colon to insert the current date into the target cell.
So I curiously opened up a new workbook, selected cell A1, keyed in the shortcut, and sure enough today’s date popped right in! Amazing! I have a ton of files that require me to hardcode the current date, so I will definitely be using this shortcut on a regular basis. Another benefit to using this key combination is that it prevents the user from keying in the wrong date. Which I’m sure can cause major spreadsheet problems from time to time!
Your Shortcuts
Is this news to anyone else? Let’s try to discover some more! Leave a comment below if you’ve come across any interesting or useful keyboard shortcuts! I look forward to reading your responses.
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Chris Newman
Chris is a finance professional and Excel MVP recognized by Microsoft since 2016. With his expertise, he founded TheSpreadsheetGuru blog to help fellow Excel users, where he shares his vast creative solutions & expertise. In addition, he has developed over 7 widely-used Excel Add-ins that have been embraced by individuals and companies worldwide.