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Key Takeaways
Format the cells containing times as either a specific time or duration with Format > Number > Time or Duration. You can then use standard + and - operators to add and subtract the times in calculations.
Want to add, subtract, or find the difference (duration) between two times? If so, Google Sheets makes it super easy to do just that, no function required. We'll show you how.
Add Time in Google Sheets
To add hours, minutes, or seconds to your specified time on Google Sheets, use the standard "+" (plus) operator.
Start by opening your web browser, launching Google Sheets, and accessing your spreadsheet. We'll use the following sheet as an example:
In this spreadsheet, we'll use the following cells:
- B2: This cell contains the start time. We'll add our time to this time.
- C2: This is where we'll specify the time to add.
- D2: This will display the resulting time.
Since both B2 and D2 will display actual times, we'll format them to use the time format. To do that, we'll select those cells and choose Format > Number > Time from the menu bar.
We'll then select the C2 cell and choose Format > Number > Duration. This is because this cell will display a time period and not the time itself.
We'll add 5 hours, 54 minutes, and 28 seconds to the specified time. To do that, we'll click the C2 cell and enter
5:54:28 .
In the D2 cell, where we want to display the resulting time, we'll enter the following formula and press Enter.
=B2+C2
This formula adds the time period in the C2 cell to the time in the B2 cell. You'll see the resulting time in the D2 cell.
And you're all set.
If you'd like to include dates in your calculation, then select your cells and choose Format > Number > Date Time from the menu bar.
Subtract Time in Google Sheets
To subtract time in Google Sheets, make use of the standard "-" (minus) operator.
Start by launching your spreadsheet on Google Sheets. We'll use the following sheet as an example:
In this spreadsheet, we'll use these cells:
- B2: This cell has the time from which you'll be subtracting a time period.
- C2: This is where you'll define the time period to subtract.
- D2: This cell will show the resulting time.
We'll select the B2 and D2 cells and make them use the time formatting by choosing Format > Number > Time from the menu bar.
We'll choose Format > Number > Duration for the C2 cell. In the C2 cell, we'll specify the time period to subtract from the B2 cell. As an example, we'll use 8 hours by entering 8:00:00 .
In the D2 cell, we'll enter the following formula and press Enter:
=B2-C2
The resulting time will appear in the D2 cell.
And that's the resulting time after subtracting your specified time period from the source time.
Find the Difference Between Two Specified Times
To find the difference between two times (for example, how many hours are between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.), use the following method.
We'll use the below spreadsheet as an example:
In this spreadsheet, we've used the following cells:
- B2: This cell shows the start time.
- C2: This cell shows the end time.
- D2: This cell will display the actual time difference between the start and end times.
Since the B2 and the C2 cells will display actual times, we'll time format them by choosing Format > Number > Time from the menu bar.
For the D2 cell, we'll choose Format > Number > Duration as it'll display the time duration between the two specified times.
As you may have already guessed, we'll find the time difference between 9:00:00 a.m. and 5:32:49 p.m. To do that, in the D2 cell, we'll type the following formula and press Enter:
=C2-B2
In the D2 cell, you'll see the time difference.
If you'd like to extract hours from your result, then enter =HOUR(D2) in a cell. To extract minutes and seconds, use =MINUTE(D2) and =SECOND(D2) in any cell, respectively.
That's how you add, subtract, and find the time difference in your Google Sheets. Easy!
Want to count the days between two dates in Google Sheets? If so, it's easy to do that too.
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