Word offers an easy way to insert automatically updating dates in your document anywhere. We will show you in easy step-wise instructions how you can do that.
Let us start.
Step #1: Open Word document.
Open the Word document and navigate to where you would like to insert an automatically updating date.
Step #2: Go to the Insert menu
Click on the Insert tab in the top menu bar to change the ribbon.
Step #3: Open Quick Parts Fields
In the section Text, click on the Quick Parts icon.
This will open a menu.
Click on Field…
Step #4: Set up the fields
This will open the Field dialog box.
Under Categories, type Date and Time.
This will show the field names associated with Date and Time under Field Names.
You will see six choices:
- CreateDate – This will insert the date of creation of the document.
- Date – This will insert the current date.
- EditTime – This will insert the last time of edit.
- SaveDate – This will insert the last time of saving for the document.
- Time – This will insert the current time.
As we must insert the current date, click on Date.
Under Date formats, enter the format you would like to use.
Note: Date formats change depending on the language you are using for your document.
For instance:
If the language for your document is US English, the sequence for the date will be – day, month, date, year.
If the language for your document is UK English, the sequence for the date format will be – day, date, month, year.
Word expresses the date format as:
- d or dd – The day of the month in numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, … 30, 31)
- dddd – The day of the week in words (Monday, Tuesday, …)
- MM – The month in numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, … 11, 12)
- MMM – The month in short words (Jan, Feb, …)
- MMMM – The month in words (January, February, …)
- yy – Last two digits of the year in numerals (22)
- yyyy – The year in numerals (2022)
Other languages follow their respective formats.
Step #5: Insert the date
Select the format you would like to insert.
Click on OK to close the dialog box.
Word inserts today’s date in your chosen format.
Step #6: Update the date
Click on the date.
An Update tab will appear.
Click on the Update tab to update the date to today.
Save the Word document.
The next time you open the document, Word will automatically update the date to the current day.
Conclusion
We have shown how you can easily insert today’s dates in your document. Word will automatically update it when you open the document.
Use our instructions to insert an automatically-updating date wherever necessary.