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Use the TIME function in Excel to add or subtract hours, minutes and seconds. To add up times in Excel, simply use the SUM function.

Add Hours, Minutes and Seconds

Remember, to enter a time, use the ":" (colon).

1. Enter a time into cell A1.

Explanation: the TIME function has 3 arguments. First, use HOUR, MINUTE and SECOND to create the time entered in cell A1. Next, add 2 hours and 30 minutes.

To change the Time format, execute the following steps.

3. Select cell B1.

4. Right click, and then click Format Cells (or press CTRL + 1).

5. In the Category list, select Time, and select a Time format.

Add Up Times

To add up times in Excel, simply use the SUM function. To display a total of more than 24 hours, change the Time format.

1. For example, task A requires 8 hours to complete, task B requires 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete, etc.

To display a total of more than 24 hours, execute the following steps.

4. Select cell B6.

5. Right click, and then click Format Cells (or press CTRL + 1).

6. Select the Custom category.

7. Type the following number format code: [h]:mm

Subtract Minutes

To subtract hours, minutes or seconds from a time, use the TIME function (and HOUR, MINUTE and SECOND).

1. Enter a time into cell A1.

Time Difference

Calculating the difference between two times in Excel can be tricky.

1. To calculate the difference between two times in the same day, simply subtract the start time from the end time.

2. This simple formula doesn't work if the start time is before midnight and the end time is after midnight. The Time Difference formula below always works.