@cellmates_: How to add Excel checkboxes and a timestamp that doesn’t change when the workbook is refreshed or opened. - Full explanation- Why this works Adding a timestamp when a box is checked might sound like a straightforward task - we can use the NOW() function with IFS or IF. You will see in the video that the formula also uses a circular reference. But have you ever wondered why a timestamp created with NOW() and a circular reference doesn’t keep updating every time Excel recalculates? 🤔 The interesting part is that NOW() isn’t what freezes the timestamp - the circular reference is. When the checkbox is first selected, Excel uses NOW() to generate the timestamp. On subsequent recalculations, the formula sees that a timestamp already exists and simply returns the cell’s current value instead of generating a new one. 🤯 In other words, the cell is effectively “remembering” its previous result. Even though NOW() is a volatile function, the formula never reaches that part of the logic again because the existing timestamp takes priority. It’s a pretty nifty example of how iterative calculations allow a formula to preserve a value created in the past. #excel #exceltricks #exceltips #microsoftexcel #excelformulas

Deb Ashby | Cellmates 🇬🇧

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Sunday 21 June 2026 21:36:43 GMT