Web Embeded Excel =NOW()-TODAY() generates UTC Time when viewed on apple devices but Local time on Windows devices?

Question

I have embedded part of an excel file on the web. I used the share function within Excel online to generate the iframe code. One of the cells uses the =now()-today() functions to display the current time. When you go to the website from a windows computer it displays the current local time. When you go to the same website with a mac or iphone/ipad it displays current UTC time. Is there a setting to changefix this. As anyone from anywhere will be able to navigate to the site i need the time to show up in their local time.

Answer 1

Hello

I’m Adeyemi and I’d be happy to help you with your question.

The behavior you're seeing is due to how Excel handles date and time functions. Excel's NOW() function returns the current date and time according to the system's clock. This means that if you're viewing the embedded Excel file on a device set to a different time zone, the NOW() function will return the date and time for that time zone

Unfortunately, Excel doesn't have built-in support for time zones. This means that there's no straightforward way to make the NOW() function return a specific time zone's current time when viewed on different devices

However, there are a few workarounds you might consider:

1. Use a web service to get the current time: If it's crucial for your application to display the same time regardless of the viewer's time zone, you could consider using a web service to get the current time for a specific time zone. This would likely involve some programming and might not be feasible depending on your situation
2. Educate your users: You could inform your users that the times displayed in the embedded Excel file are based on their device's local time. This could help avoid confusion
3. Use a different tool: If Excel's limitations are causing too much trouble, you might consider using a different tool for this task. There are many web-based tools and services available that offer more robust support for time zones

Here is a reference: https://superuser.com/questions/1153794/how-can-i-display-a-utc-date-time-value-in-the-users-local-time-zone-in-excel. Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.'

I hope this helps

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Regards Adeyemi

Answer 2

Hello Adeyemi,

Thank you for your reply. I don't think i asked my question properly. It's not really a Time zone issue. I would prefer that when the user opens the page the now() function displays the time in the users local time (whatever their system is set to). However what i'm experiencing is when i navigate to the page from my HP laptop running windows 11 it shows my local (system) time. When i go to it on my iphone or mac book it shows UTC time. I'm not sure why the 'now()' function is doing different things for different devices. The spreadsheet is in my person OneDrive. Also I live in Eastern Standard Time Zone(DST), Currently -4hr from UTC. Again, Thank you for taking the time to help!

Jerry

Here's a test site i created you can see if you have different devices to test on.

https://currentawarenessnaples.blogspot.com/2023/09/blog-post.html

And here are screen shots of the issue. Both taken at the same time. On the PC it displays system time and on my iphone it displays UTC time.

From my PC:

And from my iPhone:

![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/71fb1b1a-7a5e-4713-b44a-b45af318dd39?platform=QnA