Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Inserting the Current Month.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 16, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
In certain documents, it would be helpful to insert the current month. For instance, you might need to do a monthly report in which you place the current month name in the title of the report. Word allows you to insert a field for the month, and this field will be updated automatically whenever you print your document. To do this, follow these steps:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9414) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Inserting the Current Month.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!
You can place dynamic fields into many parts of your document. If your document contains a lot of fields, you might ...
Discover MoreOne of the things that Word keeps track of is how long, in minutes, you've been editing your current document. This ...
Discover MoreFields allow you to add a lot of dynamic information to your documents. One field you can add is the DATE field, which ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2024-07-16 08:07:38
Ray McAllister
I will likely be preparing my monthly report after the last day of the month. How do I use the field to insert last month into the document text?
2023-01-02 02:23:06
Raahul Dev
Thanks, Allen for sharing this excellent tip. I want to add the previous month, like December 2022 & this month, January 2023 in mmm yyyy format in a Word file that automatically gets updated when I open this Word file.Thanks, Allen for sharing this excellent tip. I want to add the previous month, like December 2022 & this month, January 2023 in mmm yyyy format in a Word file that automatically gets updated when I open this Word file. I'm using Microsoft 365.
Sorry for the similar comment on the webpage for the older version of Word. I read later after posting the comment that the webpage is for the older versions of Word & not for Microsoft 365.
2021-07-23 11:38:48
Eitan
Thank you,
How would you insert next month?
2021-07-23 03:54:50
Eitan
Thank you,
How would you insert next month?
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
Comments