Sheets Tip 359: The Many Ways to Say "Today!" in Google Sheets


Brought to you by:


Hi Reader,

Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #359, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form!

Have you noticed how much Google Sheets has changed in the past couple of years?

We tend to think of spreadsheets as static tools, but that's just not the case. When I open a Sheet today I invariably use Tables and AI tools, both of which weren't available a few years ago.

So I’ve been building something new to help you get fully up to speed with the modern way of working in Sheets.

It's a new course called Modern Google Sheets that will be available next month.

👉 Join the interest list to get sneak peeks and updates.

(Joining the waitlist simply means I’ll share updates and email you first when the course is ready — no obligation.)

Now, onto today's newsletter, all about the topic of today!


➜ News

I.
Google Developer Expert Martin Hawksey has authored a nice introduction to building apps without code using AppSheet and Gemini:

Read it here >>

II.
Two issues ago, in tip #357, we talked about version history in Sheets. Well, they just announced a minor update to that feature called condensed view, which should make it easier to view the changes.

Read the announcement here >>


Brought to you by: Wisesheets

Stop Wasting Time Copying Stock Data

Everyone knows that research is key to great investing. But copying financial data into a spreadsheet for every single stock you want to analyze, wastes hours of your time.

Wisesheets lets you pull decades of stock financials, dividend data, options, crypto, and more directly into Google Sheets.

Compare thousands of stocks at a glance, screen for companies, build custom models, and keep track of your portfolio all in one place.

With Wisesheets, you can save time and focus on what really matters—finding high-return investments.


➜ Sheets Tip #359: Today in Google Sheets

In this tip, we look at the many different ways to get today's date in a cell in Google Sheets.

I use tip number 1 on a daily basis!

1. Use the shortcut

Use this shortcut to quickly add today's date in a cell in Google Sheets:

Cmd + ; (on a Mac)

Ctrl + ; (PC/Chromebook)

2. Use the "@" menu

Type "@today" in a blank cell to add today's date. Neat!

Pro tip: you can get other dates like "@yesterday" or "@next tuesday" using this method. Check out Google Sheets Tip 313 for all the details.

3. Use a Data Validation Calendar Picker

You can force a cell to show a mini-calendar on a double-click, which includes a handy "Today" button.

Select the cell or range of cells, then:

  1. Go to the menu Data > Data validation
  2. Click on "+ Add rule"
  3. Under Criteria, select "Is valid date".

Now, when you double-click on that cell, a calendar will pop up, allowing you to select today's date with a single click.

4. Use a Function

Use any of these functions to get today's date in a cell:

=TODAY()
=NOW() (includes the timestamp)
=DATE(2025,9,15)

And here's a bonus, exotic QUERY function method:

=QUERY( ,"select now() label now() ''")

(includes the timestamp)

Voila!

Any other methods I'm missing?


If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend who might enjoy it.

Have a great week!

Cheers,
Ben

P.S. The truly eco-friendly Uber option

Google Sheets Tips

Get better at working with Google Sheets! Join 50,000 readers to get an actionable tip in your inbox every Monday.

Read more from Google Sheets Tips

Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #382, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! If you feel like the AI wave is moving faster than you can keep up with, you aren't alone. The gap between "playing with a chatbot" and "building reliable AI systems" feels wider than ever, and that feeling is only increasing with every new AI announcement. For the past couple of months, I’ve been working on a new course to help address this challenge. Next Monday, I’m opening...

Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #381, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! Since last week, the weather in the Mid-Atlantic region has been even more volatile than that mission critical spreadsheet your non-technical boss "fixed" recently. We had a day over 80F, followed by a wild 50F drop to temps in the 30's and snow squalls. And later today, we're forecast to have a severe thunderstorm and possible tornadoes. It's threatening enough that schools in...

Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #380, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! I read something online last week (source) that really resonated with me: Joy is a competitive superpower The author gave the example of the US figure skater Alysa Liu, who rocked a huge smile on her way to a gold medal at the recent Winter Olympics. As someone who has a tendency to take things too seriously, this was a good reminder for me to smile more and...