How do you freeze volatile formula results in Excel?
How to lock the output of self-refreshing functions such as NOW, TODAY and RAND into a single fixed value.
Short answer
Type the formula, press F9 before you press Enter, then press Enter: the formula collapses into a static value. For formulas that already exist, copy the cells and paste them back over themselves with Paste Special > Values. To pause refreshing without losing formulas, set Formulas > Calculation Options > Manual.
What you need
Step by step
Find the volatile cells
NOW, TODAY, RAND and RANDBETWEEN count as volatile functions: their results change every time the file opens and every time anything on the sheet triggers a recalculation. Note down which cells hold them before you start, because freezing removes the formula for good.
Press F9 while typing
Type =NOW() into the cell but do not press Enter yet. While the formula bar is still in edit mode, press F9 and then Enter. Excel evaluates the formula and writes the current result in its place, so the cell now holds a plain date-time value instead of a formula.
Paste existing formulas as values
Select the cells you want to freeze and copy them with Ctrl+C. Right-click the same selection and choose Paste Special > Values, or press Ctrl+Alt+V, tick Values and click OK. Each formula is replaced by its current result and will never refresh again.
Enter a fixed date or time by shortcut
Skipping the formula altogether is the cleanest route. Press Ctrl+; for today's date or Ctrl+Shift+; for the current time, then press Enter. To put both in one cell, use the date shortcut, type a space, then the time shortcut. On a Mac, use Cmd in place of Ctrl.
Switch to manual calculation if needed
If you want to keep the formulas but stop them refreshing for now, open the Formulas tab and choose Calculation Options > Manual. In this mode results only update when you press F9 or click Calculate Now, so volatile cells stay put while you work.
Check the result and save
Click a frozen cell and look at the formula bar: a plain value instead of a formula means it worked. Then type something into another cell and press Enter; if the frozen value does not move, you are done. Save the file.
Turn automatic calculation back on
Leaving Calculation Options on Manual stops every other formula in the workbook from updating too, which is easy to forget about. When you are finished, go back to Formulas > Calculation Options > Automatic so the rest of the sheet behaves normally.
Tips
Watch out
Paste Special > Values deletes the formula permanently and leaves only the result, and Ctrl+Z is the only way back. Once the file is saved the formulas are gone for good, so make a copy of large tables before you start.
Frequently asked questions
+I pressed F9 but the value still keeps changing. Why?
You most likely pressed F9 after Enter. The key only converts a formula into a static value while the cell is still in edit mode, that is, after typing the formula but before pressing Enter.
+Can I get the formula back in a frozen cell?
No. Pasting as values or pressing F9 erases the formula. Ctrl+Z recovers it if you have not saved yet; otherwise you have to retype the formula.
+Does manual calculation mode affect all my files?
It applies to the workbooks open in that Excel session and is stored with the file when you save. Switching back to Formulas > Calculation Options > Automatic when you finish is the safe habit.
+Ctrl+; does nothing on my keyboard. What now?
On layouts where the semicolon needs Shift, such as Turkish Q, the shortcut often fails. Type =TODAY() in the cell and press F9 then Enter instead, or just type the date by hand.
+How do I make a list of random numbers permanent?
Build the column as you want it, select the cells, copy with Ctrl+C and paste back over the same range with Paste Special > Values. The numbers stop changing from then on.
Sources and verification
Last verified: 12 Eylül 2026. tell us. Menu paths and function names are given as they appear in English Excel; localized builds use translated names, for example SIMDI for NOW and BUGUN for TODAY in Turkish.
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