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I use AutoHotkey's text replacement to drop different date formats. Typing "]ts" in an input replaces it with 03/21/2025 10:10:48

  ::]ts::{
    Send(FormatTime(,"MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss"))
    Return
  }
Beware the syntax differences between Autohotkey 1 and 2 when searching documentation



yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss


Please take this as your official notice that you use dates completely wrong and the world thinks you are a terrible person. If you would like to be a good person, please correct your horrific use of dates immediately

Medium/Small/Big Big:Medium:Small - No! Bad American!

Big-Medium-Small Big:Medium:Small—Yes! You're now ISO 8601 compliant!

TL;DR:

  Send(FormatTime(,"yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"))


ISO 8601 is a great standard when you need interoperability (e.g. between machines/servers, or between humans in different locales) or the ability to sort by timestamp.

For personal note taking, or notes to be shared locally, it makes sense to use your local locale's format.


That's why I use AHK for my favorite timestamps like 20250321102123, I prefer year first as well but when in Rome.




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