How to get real-time stock prices in Excel
Excel's built-in Stocks data type is delayed ~15 minutes and never refreshes on its own. Here are the real ways to get live prices into Excel — and the one that needs no formulas at all.
Free · no sign-up needed · real-time on every plan.
September 14, 2026 · 6 min read
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SYMBOL | NAME | PRICE | Δ% |
| 2 | Apple Inc. | … | ||
| 3 | Bitcoin | … | ||
| 4 |
Those are real, live prices — no formula, no sign-up. Edit any ticker, or type one in the empty row (stocks or for crypto).
Open the full sheet →Why isn't the Stocks data type real-time?
Excel's Stocks data type(the one under Data → Stocks) is convenient, but it's exchange-delayed by about 15 minutes and only updates when you run Data → Refresh All. It also needs a Microsoft 365 subscription — standalone Office doesn't include it. So out of the box, Excel doesn't stream a live price. (If yours won't update at all, see the fixes here.)
Option 1 — Auto-refresh the data type
You can make it refresh on a timer: put the data-type cells in a table, then use a query's Refresh every N minutesconnection setting, or a short VBA macro on a timer. It helps — but remember you're auto-refreshing a delayed number, so it never becomes truly live.
Option 2 — Pull a market API with Power Query
For closer-to-real-time data, use Data → From Web(Power Query) to call a stock-price API and parse the JSON into cells. This can get within seconds of live, but it's real setup: an API key, a query per source, refresh scheduling, and maintenance when the API changes. Great if you like plumbing; a lot for a watchlist.
Option 3 — Use a spreadsheet that's already live
The no-setup path is a spreadsheet where the prices are streamed for you. Stealth Quotes looks and behaves like a spreadsheet, but column A is live: type AAPL or BTC.X and the real-time price appears and keeps updating — no Microsoft 365, no Power Query, no formulas.
| Stocks data type | Power Query + API | Stealth Quotes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time (not delayed) | ~15 min | ||
| Updates on its own | |||
| No formulas / setup | |||
| No Microsoft 365 needed | |||
| Crypto included | |||
| Free |
Which should you pick?
If you already live in Excel and only need a rough, occasional check, the Stocks data type is fine. If you want genuinely live prices and a watchlist that moves on its own without you building and babysitting a Power Query, a streaming spreadsheet is the calmer answer — type a ticker, watch it tick, done.
Want live prices without Microsoft 365 or Power Query? Type a ticker and watch it stream — stocks and crypto, no formulas. Free, no sign-up.
Try it free →Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Can Excel show real-time stock prices?
Not with the built-in Stocks data type — it's delayed about 15 minutes and only refreshes when you tell it to. For closer-to-live prices you need a Power Query pull from a market API (setup required) or a separate tool that streams. Stealth Quotes streams real-time prices into a spreadsheet-style grid with no formulas.
Is Excel's Stocks data type real-time?
No. It's delayed roughly 15 minutes, requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, and never auto-updates — you have to run Data → Refresh All (or refresh the cell) each time.
How do I make Excel stock prices update automatically?
You can schedule a refresh with 'Refresh every N minutes' in a query's connection properties, or a small VBA macro — but even then the underlying data type is still delayed, so it auto-updates a delayed number, not a live one.
What's the easiest way to get truly live prices in a spreadsheet?
Skip the formulas and the refresh cadence. Stealth Quotes is a spreadsheet-style app that streams real-time stock and crypto prices straight into the cells — type a ticker and it updates on its own, no Microsoft 365 and no setup.
Live prices, no Excel gymnastics.
A spreadsheet that streams real-time stock and crypto prices into the cells — type a ticker, get a live price. No 365, no Power Query. Free, no sign-up.