3 Ways to Insert the Date in Microsoft Word Docs

by | Nov 15, 2014

If you need to insert the date in your documents, save time by using these shortcuts instead of typing.

Inserting the date with autofill

Insert As You Type

As you type the date in your document, Tooltips appear that predict what you’re going to type. Press Enter to accept the suggestion. For example, as you start typing “Janu”, Word suggests “January,” and you press Enter to insert it. If you keep typing the rest of the date, it may offer to autofill in the day and the year as well.

Inserting today's date and timeInsert Today’s Date and Time

Click on the document where you want to put the date. Go to the INSERT RIBBON, and choose DATE AND TIME on the far right. Select how the date should look. To always use this style, click the SET AS DEFAULT button.

Insert the date with a keyboard shortcut

Use a Keyboard Shortcut

You can also insert the date with the keystroke ALT-SHIFT-D. This inserts the date as a field — click on it to see the field container. To change the format, use the instructions above to change the Default style, and reinsert the field. The field maintains the original date. Click on the UPDATE button to change it to today’s date.

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About Alicia Katz Pollock

With a Masters in Teaching from Tufts University, a QuickBooks®️ Online Advanced Certification and more than 30 years’ experience in the tech industry, Alicia is passionate about finding creative, practical solutions to complex and everyday tech problems. She also loves a good laugh!

Comments

7 Comments

  1. Chuck P.

    Great ideas. I use the keyboard shortcut Alt-Shift-D but… it inserts the date with the update feature that I don’t want. If I have to Cut (ctrl-x) and Paste (ctrl-v) text only, that kind of defeats the purpose of the ‘shortcut’.
    Is there a shortcut key sequence that will add the date without update?

    Reply
    • Alicia Katz Pollock

      Hi Chuck, you know all the same tricks I do. The only other option I know is to start typing the date and it autofills as you type. So you can start typing the month and hit Enter a few times and the date appears…

      Reply
  2. Dhanveer Singh

    Alt Shift T for Time.

    Reply
  3. Kirk McIntyre

    When I start typing the date it works on one document but not on another. How do I make it suggest the rest of the date when I start typing it?

    Reply
    • Alicia Katz Pollock

      Hi Kirk, Make sure this setting is turned on:
      File>Options>Advanced>Show AutoComplete suggestions.

      Reply
  4. BG2

    Alt Shift D – You can also change the date format for this short cut: On the task bar, R click on time, Adjust Date and Time / Change Date and Time format. Then next time you use Alt-Shift-D it will show the new date format.

    Reply
  5. Ian Philipp

    Great tips, thank you! One ought to add that the insert-date function also exists in Word for Mac: the shortcut is Control-Shift-D, similar to the Word for Windows version. Cheerio!

    Reply

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