Calculating time in Google Sheets (2024)

Example 1. Subtract time to get the time duration in Google Sheets

If you have your start time and end time, it's not a problem to find out the time spent:

= End time - Start time

Let's assume the start time is in column A and the end time is in column B. With a simple subtraction formula in C2, you will find how much time this or that task took:

=B2-A2

The time is formatted as "hh:mm" by default.

To get the results as hours only or as hours, minutes, and seconds, you need to apply a custom format with the corresponding time codes: h and hh:mm:ss. Google even offers a special number format for cases like this - Duration:

Tip. To apply the custom time format, go to Format > Number > Custom number format in your spreadsheet menu.

Example 2. Calculate time duration in Google Sheets using the TEXT function

Another trick to calculate the time duration in Google Sheets involves the TEXT function:

=TEXT(B2-A2,"h") - for hours

=TEXT(B2-A2,"h:mm") - for hours and minutes

=TEXT(B2-A2,"h:mm:ss") - for hours, minutes, and seconds

Note. See how the records are aligned to the left? Because the TEXT function always returns the results formatted as a text. This means these values cannot be used for further calculations.

Example 3. Time difference in hours, minutes, and seconds

You can track the time spent and get the result in one time unit disregarding other units. For example, count the number of only hours, only minutes, or only seconds.

Note. To ensure correct results, your cells should be formatted either as numbers or automatically: Format > Number > Number or Format > Number > Automatic.

• To get the number of hours spent, subtract your start time from the end time and multiply the result by 24 (since there are 24 hours in one day):

  =(End time - Start time) * 24

  You will get a time difference as a decimal:

  If the start time is greater than the end time, the formula will return a negative number, like in C5 in my example.

  Tip. The INT function will let you see the number of complete hours spent since it rounds numbers down to the nearest integer:

  

  See Also

  Anderson DodsonTime Formula - What Is the Formula For Time? ExamplesTime Duration CalculatorCalculate Business hours between 2 dates/times

• To count minutes, subtract the start time from the end time and multiply whatever you get by 1,440 (since there are 1,440 minutes in one day):

  =(End time - Start time) * 1440

  

• To find out how many seconds passed between two times, the drill is the same: subtract the start time from the end time and multiply the result by 86,400 (the number of seconds in a day):

  =(End time - Start time) * 86400

  

Tip. You can avoid multiplying in all these cases. Just subtract times first, and then apply elapsed time format from Format > Number > Custom date and time. If you click the down arrow to the right of the text field, you'll be able to choose between additional date and time units:

Example 4. Functions to get the time difference in a Google spreadsheet

As always, Google Sheets equips you with three particularly useful functions for this purpose.

Note. These functions work only within 24 hours and 60 minutes and seconds. If the time difference exceeds these limits, the formulas will return errors.

• =HOUR(B2-A2) - to return hours only (without minutes and seconds)
• =MINUTE(B2-A2) - to return minutes only (without hours and seconds)
• =SECOND(B2-A2) - to return seconds only (without hours and minutes)

Add or subtract hours in Google Sheets

• Add less than 24 hours:

  =Start time + TIME(N hours, 0, 0)

  Here's how the formula looks on real data:

  =A2+TIME(3,0,0)

• Add more than 24 hours:

  =Start time + (N hours / 24)

  To add 27 hours to the time in A2, I use this formula:

  =A2+(27/24)

• To subtract 24 and more hours, use the formulas above as a basis but change the plus sign (+) to the minus sign (-). Here's what I've got:

  =A2-TIME(3,0,0) - to subtract 3 hours

  =A2-(27/24) - to subtract 27 hours

Add or subtract minutes in Google Sheets

The principle of manipulating minutes is the same as with the hours.

• There's the TIME function that adds and subtracts up to 60 minutes:

  See Also

  Hour to Minute Calculator

  =Start time + TIME(0, N minutes, 0)

  If you are to add 40 minutes, you can do it like this:

  =A2+TIME(0,40,0)

  If you are to subtract 20 minutes, here's the formula to use:

  =A2-TIME(0,40,0)

• And there's a formula based on simple arithmetic to add and subtract over 60 minutes:

  =Start time + (N minutes / 1440)

  Thus, here's how you add 120 minutes:

  =A2+(120/1440)

  Put the minus instead of plus to subtract 120 minutes:

  =A2-(120/1440)

Add or subtract seconds in Google Sheets

Seconds in Google Sheets are calculated in the same manner as hours and minutes.

• You can use the TIME function to add or subtract up to 60 seconds:

  =Start time + TIME(0, 0, N seconds)

  For example, add 30 seconds:

  =A2+TIME(0,0,30)

  Or subtract 30 seconds:

  =A2-TIME(0,0,30)

• To calculate over 60 seconds, use simple maths:

  =Start time + (N seconds / 86400)

  Add 700 seconds:

  =A2+(700/86400)

  Or subtract 700 seconds:

  =A2-(700/86400)

Split Date time using Number format

In order to display date or time in one cell on your screen or to print it, just select the original cell, go to Format > Number and choose Date or Time.

However, if you'd like to use these values for future calculations (subtract, sum, etc.), this won't be enough. If you don't see the time unit in a cell, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's absent, and vice versa.

So what do you do?

Split Date time using formulas

Google stores dates and time as numbers. For example, it sees the date 8/24/2017 11:40:03 as the number 42971,4861458. The integer part represents the date, the fractional - time. So, your task is down to separating integer from fractional.

1. To extract date (integer part), use the ROUNDDOWN function in cell B2:

   =ROUNDDOWN(A2,0)

   The formula rounds the value down and casts the fractional part away.

2. To extract time, place the following subtraction formula into C2:

   =A2-B2

3. Copy the results into the third row and apply Date format to B3 and Time format to C3:

Use the Split Date & Time add-on

You may be surprised but there's one special add-on for this job. It's really small and easy but its contribution to Google Sheets cannot be overstated.

splits all Date time records in your entire column at once. You control the desired outcome with just 4 simple settings:

You tell the add-on:

1. Whether there's a header row.
2. If you want to get the Date unit.
3. If you want to get the Time unit.
4. And if you'd like to replace your original column with the new data.

It literally takes the burden of splitting date and time units off your shoulders:

The add-on is part of the Power Tools collection so you will have more than 40 other useful add-ons at hand:

These are the ways to not only display date or time, but to separate them to different cells. And you can perform various calculations with these records now.