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To highlight Excel dates that are strictly before today, create a formula-based conditional-formatting rule with:
=A2<TODAY()Applied to a range such as A2:A100, this highlights dates earlier than the current date but does not highlight today. For most worksheets, the safer version is:
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=AND(ISNUMBER(A2),A2<TODAY())That version ignores blanks, text such as Pending, and imported values that Excel does not recognize as dates. Excel’s TODAY() value is dynamic, but the workbook must recalculate for the rule to reflect a new day. See Microsoft’s TODAY function documentation.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchApply the rule in Excel
- Select the date cells, such as
A2:A100. - Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule.
- Choose Use a formula to determine which cells to format.
- Enter
=A2<TODAY(), or use the blank-safe formula=AND(ISNUMBER(A2),A2<TODAY()). - Select Format, choose a fill, font color, bold style, or border, and select OK.
In Excel for the web, the path is generally Home > Styles > Conditional Formatting > New Rule. Check the Apply to range field before saving. On Mac, the dialog may use a Classic style interface before offering Use a formula to determine which cells to format. Menu labels can vary by Excel edition.
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Conditional-formatting formulas must begin with an equals sign and return either TRUE or FALSE. Microsoft’s instructions cover formula rules, rule management, ranges, precedence, and error handling.
Use the correct reference cell
The formula must refer to the top-left cell of the range to which the rule applies. If the range is A2:A100, use A2—not A1. Excel evaluates the formula relative to the top-left cell and adjusts the relative reference for the remaining cells.
For example, if the rule applies to D5:D200, start with:
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Highlight an entire row based on a date
Suppose a worksheet contains:
| Due date | Task | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 8/10/2026 | Send invoice | Open |
To highlight A2:C100 whenever the date in column A is before today, apply this rule to the full range:
=AND(ISNUMBER($A2),$A2<TODAY())The dollar sign fixes the date column at A, while the row number remains relative. As Excel evaluates each row, it checks A2, then A3, and so on. The ISNUMBER test prevents empty or text entries from triggering the row formatting.
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A simpler version is =$A2<TODAY(). Use it when column A is guaranteed to contain valid dates and you do not need defensive handling for incomplete data.
Before today, including today, or after today?
| Requirement | Formula |
|---|---|
| Before today, excluding today | =A2<TODAY() |
| Today or earlier | =A2<=TODAY() |
| Today only | =A2=TODAY() |
| After today | =A2>TODAY() |
| Today or later | =A2>=TODAY() |
| Exactly yesterday | =A2=TODAY()-1 |
| Older than 30 days | =A2<TODAY()-30 |
The difference between < and <= matters: “older than today” means strictly earlier than today, while “today or earlier” includes today.
Exclude blanks and non-date text
Use this as the default production-safe rule:
=AND(ISNUMBER(A2),A2<TODAY())Excel stores genuine dates as numeric serial values. A cell can look like a date while actually containing text, especially after importing data. To test a suspicious value, enter =ISNUMBER(A2) in another cell. TRUE indicates a numeric value; FALSE usually means text or another nonnumeric value.
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=AND(A2<>"",A2<TODAY())However, ISNUMBER is more reliable when the column may contain entries such as N/A, Pending, or imported date strings.
Fix dates stored as text
If dates appear correct but are not highlighted, convert them to real Excel dates. Depending on the data, options include re-entering them using a recognized format, using Data > Text to Columns, or applying DATEVALUE to compatible text-date patterns. Clean leading spaces and inconsistent imported formats first.
Do not assume that a value such as 01/02/2026 has one universal meaning. Regional settings may interpret it as January 2 or February 1. For fixed dates, use DATE(year,month,day) rather than an ambiguous slash-separated value; Microsoft documents this function here.
Dates that include times
TODAY() represents the current date at midnight. A date-time from a previous day is still earlier than today and will be highlighted. For example:
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=AND(ISNUMBER(A2),A2<NOW())NOW() returns the current date and time, whereas TODAY() returns the current date. Use TODAY() for calendar-date logic and NOW() only when the time of day matters. See Microsoft’s NOW documentation.
Highlight overdue items that are not complete
To highlight an entire row only when the due date is past and the status in column C is not Complete, apply this to the table body:
=AND(ISNUMBER($A2),$A2<TODAY(),$C2<>"Complete")For rows that should be highlighted only when the status is Open, use:
=AND(ISNUMBER($A2),$A2<TODAY(),$B2="Open")Adjust the status column to match your worksheet. If statuses contain inconsistent capitalization or extra spaces, clean or normalize the data before relying on the comparison.
What to check when the rule does not work
The rule applies to the wrong cells
Open Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules and inspect Applies to or Apply to range. Confirm that the range starts at the same cell used in the formula. For a row rule, ensure the full table body—not just the date column—is selected.
The formula is missing the equals sign
Enter =A2<TODAY(), not A2<TODAY(). The equals sign is required for a formula-based rule.
Another rule hides the formatting
In Manage Rules, check rules targeting the same cells. Higher rules have greater precedence when formatting conflicts. Review the order and whether Stop If True is enabled.
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The date column contains errors
Error values can prevent conditional formatting from being applied as expected. A defensive version is:
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=IFERROR(AND(ISNUMBER(A2),A2<TODAY()),FALSE)If errors need attention, create a separate rule such as =ISERROR(A2) with a different format. Microsoft notes these error-handling considerations in its conditional-formatting guidance.
The result does not change tomorrow
TODAY() is dynamic, but its result updates when Excel recalculates the workbook. If the workbook uses manual calculation, change the calculation setting to Automatic in Excel’s formula calculation settings, then recalculate or reopen the workbook as needed. Do not treat conditional formatting as a permanent snapshot: it changes appearance, not the underlying dates.
Use Excel’s built-in date rule instead
Excel also offers Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > A Date Occurring. This is convenient for predefined categories such as yesterday, today, tomorrow, or next week.
For the precise requirement “strictly older than today,” a formula is usually better because it makes the comparison explicit, can ignore blanks and text, can format an entire row, and can combine the date with status or other conditions.
Use a fixed cutoff date
If the rule should compare against a reporting or audit date that must not move tomorrow, put that date in F1 and use:
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=AND(ISNUMBER(A2),A2<$F$1)The absolute references keep the comparison anchored to F1. For a date built directly into the formula, use:
=A2<DATE(2026,8,18)This avoids regional ambiguity. A hard-coded expression such as =A2<8/18/2026 can be interpreted unexpectedly depending on local date settings.
Excel editions and expanding lists
Microsoft lists TODAY() as supported in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for the web, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and corresponding Mac editions. The exact conditional-formatting dialog differs between Windows, Mac, and the web.
If new records will be added, apply the rule to an Excel Table’s date column or table body where appropriate, rather than a small fixed range. The exact expansion behavior can vary with the workbook structure and Excel edition, so verify the rule’s Applies to range after adding rows.
Excel for the web may be sufficient for this task. A paid Microsoft 365 subscription is not necessary merely to apply date-based conditional formatting if the web version meets your needs; desktop Excel is relevant when you need broader desktop, offline, VBA, or other edition-specific features. See Microsoft’s current Excel page for availability and plan details.
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