# Get Current Date & Time

## Get Current Date & Time

### Overview & The "Smart" Mechanism

The **Get Current Date & Time** node gives you the current day, date, or time in the format your workflow needs. Think of it like a digital office clock that can instantly switch between regional formats before handing the result to the next step.

It is useful when you need consistent timestamps for messages, approvals, reports, filenames, or schedule-based workflows. You choose what to return, how it should look, and which timezone it should follow.

#### Smart features

* **Timezone conversion built in** : enter your timezone offset and the node adjusts the current time for that region.
* **Pick only what you need** : return just the day, just the date, just the time, or any combination.
* **Keeps your chosen order** : if you ask for day, then date, then time, the output follows that exact sequence.
* **Flexible display formats** : choose whether the day appears as a name or number, and set date and time formats to match your business needs.
* **Supports half-hour offsets** : useful for regions that do not follow whole-hour timezone differences.

<figure><img src="/files/hk46Ke3IzGVoD0dyT6yR" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Common Use Cases

* Add the current local date and time to approval emails, reports, or exported files.
* Stamp support tickets, internal notes, or workflow logs with the right regional time.
* Generate today’s date in a fixed format for naming files, filtering records, or scheduling follow-up tasks.

### How to Configure

* **Timezone** : Enter the timezone offset in hours.
  * Use `0` for UTC.
  * Use `7` for UTC+7.
  * Use `-5` for UTC-5.
  * Use `5.5` for regions with half-hour offsets.
* **Retrieval data** : Select what you want the node to return: **Day**, **Date**, **Time**, or a combination of these.
* **Day format** : If you selected **Day**, choose whether you want the full weekday name or the numeric day value.
* **Date format** : If you selected **Date**, enter the format you want, such as `MM/DD/YYYY`, `DD/MM/YYYY`, or `YYYY-MM-DD`.
* **Time format** : If you selected **Time**, choose either 24-hour time or 12-hour time with AM/PM.
* Run the workflow and use the output in your next node as a ready-to-use timestamp string.

<figure><img src="/files/z3JldTLSRDtOgxa72tLD" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Before & After Example

**Before**

```
Need today's date and time for a customer update in Vietnam.
Retrieval data = Day + Date + Time
Date format = DD/MM/YYYY
Time format = 24-hour
Timezone = 7
```

**After**

```
Tuesday, 14/04/2026, 15:05
```

### Important Warnings & Best Practices

* This node uses a fixed timezone offset. If your region changes time during part of the year, review the offset manually when seasons change.
* Fill in every required format field for the items you select. If you choose **Date** or **Time** without setting the matching format, the workflow may fail.
* Only use **Day**, **Date**, and **Time** in the retrieval list. Other values are ignored.
* The output is always one text string. If a later step needs separate day, date, and time values, you may need an extra formatting step.
* If you use the numeric day option, Sunday is `0`. Keep that in mind if your team expects a different numbering system.
* Stick to the built-in date patterns like `MM/DD/YYYY` or `YYYY-MM-DD`. Unusual custom patterns can produce unexpected results.

### Need help?

* Learn the basics in [How a node works](/getting-started/lets-start-with-the-basics/how-a-node-works.md)
* Build the full flow in [Create a workflow](/workflow-builder/create-a-workflow.md)
* Browse related nodes in [Component List](/workflow-builder/component-list.md)


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