Add times

Let's say you want to sum the total time a set of tasks will take so that you can calculate a contract rate, or you want to sum the number of minutes in different legs of a race to get the total time. There are several ways to add times.What do you want to do?

For times entered in the standard time format (hours : minutes : seconds)

For times entered as a number in a single time unit

For times entered in the standard time format (hours : minutes : seconds)

For this method to work, hours can never exceed 24, minutes can never exceed 60, and seconds can never exceed 60.

Example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

How to copy an example

1. Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
2. Select the example in the Help topic.

   Note Do not select the row or column headers.

   Selecting an example from Help

3. Press CTRL+C.
4. In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
5. To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Formulas tab, in the Formula Auditing group, click the Show Formulas button.

Notes

• You can format the first formula as a number. Select the cell and on the Home tab, in the Number group, click the arrow, and then click Number.
• If the time you are adding contain seconds, format the cell with a time format that displays seconds. Select the cell, and on the Home tab, in the Number group, click the arrow next to the Number Format box, click More Number Formats, click Custom in the Category list, and then click a custom format in the Type box.

Function details

SUM

For times entered as a number in a single time unit

To do this task, use the TIME function to manipulate a part of a time - such as the hour or minute - within a formula.

Example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

How to copy an example

1. Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
2. Select the example in the Help topic.

   Note Do not select the row or column headers.

   Selecting an example from Help

3. Press CTRL+C.
4. In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
5. To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Formulas tab, in the Formula Auditing group, click the Show Formulas button.

Functions details

TIME