Formatting Issues

How to Highlight Excel Cells When a Date Matches Today

Maira Mehtab Sep 27, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user wants to apply conditional formatting to highlight specific cells in columns F and G dynamically whenever the date in column F is equal to today's date.

Product: Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Tracking daily schedules, tasks, or deadlines where rows corresponding to the current system date need to stand out visually in a spreadsheet.
Observed behavior: Needs to apply a dynamic formatting rule based on the current system date using the TODAY() function to conditionally format the selected cell ranges.

Before you start

Ensure that the data in your target columns is stored as actual Excel date values, rather than text strings, so the TODAY() function can correctly recognize and evaluate them against the current date.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Conditional Formatting with the TODAY() Function

Apply a custom formula rule in Excel's conditional formatting settings to dynamically check cell dates against the current system date.

By utilizing the TODAY() function within a conditional formatting rule, Excel will automatically recalculate the current date every time you open the workbook. This ensures your daily highlights are always accurate without manual updates.

Select the Target Range

Click and drag to select the cells you want to format in column F (for example, F1:F100).

Open Conditional Formatting

Navigate to the 'Home' tab on the Excel ribbon, click on 'Conditional Formatting', and select 'New Rule' from the drop-down menu.

Enter the TODAY Formula

Choose 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format'. In the formula box, enter '=F1=TODAY()' (make sure the row number in the formula matches the first row of your selection).

Set the Highlight Format

Click the 'Format' button, switch to the 'Fill' tab, choose your desired highlight color, and click 'OK' twice to apply the rule.

Apply to Additional Columns

For column G, select the applicable range and repeat the process using the same formula '=F1=TODAY()', making sure to adjust the row reference to match the first row of the newly selected range.

Pro Tip for Highlighting Entire Rows: If you want both columns F and G to be highlighted simultaneously based on the date in column F, select both columns (e.g., F1:G100) and use an absolute column reference in your formula: =$F1=TODAY().

Efficient Spreadsheet Formatting

Highlight Dates Easily with WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Office Spreadsheet provides intuitive and powerful conditional formatting tools perfectly compatible with standard formulas like TODAY(). You can easily highlight deadlines, track schedules, and organize your daily tasks for free.

1. Open your workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the file containing your date columns.
2. Select the columns: Highlight the range in columns F and G that you want to format.
3. Create a new formatting rule: Go to the Home tab, click 'Conditional Formatting', and select 'New Rule'.
4. Apply the custom formula: Choose 'Use a formula to format cells', enter '=$F1=TODAY()', select a fill color, and click OK to save.

Free and lightweight office suiteFully compatible with Microsoft Excel file formats (.xlsx, .xls)Supports advanced conditional formatting and custom formula rulesFamiliar user interface for seamless migration

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't the TODAY() function highlighting my dates correctly?

This issue typically occurs if your dates are formatted as text or if they include specific time values (timestamps) alongside the date. Ensure the cells are formatted strictly as Dates. If they contain times, use the INT() function to extract just the date, such as =INT($F1)=TODAY().

Can I highlight dates that are past due instead of today?

Yes. You can modify the operator in your formula. To highlight past dates, use the less-than symbol: =F1<TODAY(). To highlight future dates, use the greater-than symbol: =F1>TODAY().

Will the TODAY() conditional formatting update automatically tomorrow?

Yes. TODAY() is a volatile function in spreadsheet software. It will automatically recalculate to the current system date whenever you open the workbook or perform an action that triggers a worksheet calculation.

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