Tip of the week # 552
6 October 2018


Insert today's date or current time (Excel and Access) *

In trying to improve the quality and effectiveness of our training I always ask delegates to complete an evaluation form. One of the questions is "What is your favourite tip you picked up today". Because one of this week's Access course participants wrote "ctrl ; for today's date" I thought I'd dust off tip 358, as it doesn't just apply to Excel, but also to Access.

Here's how:

  1. Press CTRL + ; to enter today's date OR
  2. Press CTRL + SHIFT + ; to enter the current time

If you'd like the date to be updated every time someone opens Excel or Access, you can insert the date as a field.

Here's how:

  1. Type =Date() in the Field Properties Default Value box in the table design of Access OR
  2. Type =TODAY() or =NOW() in a cell in Excel

With thanks to Kathryn for this week's tip inspiration.

Related tips

  1. Tip # 56: Using validation rules to ensure accurate data entry ( tip_56.html )
  2. Tip # 358: Enter the current date and/or time into a worksheet ( tip_358.php )
  3. Tip # 442: Save time entering dates ( tip_442.php )

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* Unless stated otherwise, these tips were written for Microsoft Office 2010.