To insert a date field, press [Alt][Shift]D. Doing so enters a date field, the appearance of which is determined by the current default date/ time format. Should you decide to update that field to reflect a future date, select the field and press [F9], or right-click on the field and choose Update Field from the context menu. To change the default date/time format, go to Insert | Date And Time, select a format, and then click the Default button. When you do, Word will ask you to confirm that you want to set a new default format. Click OK, and then click OK to close the Date And Time dialog box. Now, when you press [Alt][Shift]D, Word will display the date field using the new format. To enter a field that displays the time as well as the date, press [Alt][Shift]T.

In addition to changing the default date/time format, you can enter the system date or time by going to Insert | Date And Time and choosing a format. This approach inserts, by default, a literal date or time string instead of a date field. To enter a date field using the Date And Time dialog box, activate the Update Automatically option before you click OK.