Microsoft Excel provides users with a plethora of options for formatting time values to suit their specific needs. In this article, we’ll explore the various time formatting options available in Excel, from standard time formats to custom formats, empowering users to present time-related data effectively.
Understanding Time Formats
Before we delve into the different types of time formats in Excel, it’s essential to understand the basics. Time in Excel is represented as a decimal fraction of a 24-hour day, where each hour is divided into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds. Excel stores time values as decimal numbers, with the integer portion representing the number of days since the base date (January 0, 1900) and the fractional portion representing the time of day.
Standard Time Formats
Excel offers several built-in time formats for displaying time values in a human-readable format. Here are some common standard time formats:
- Short Time (e.g., 9:30 AM): Displays time using the default short time format. To apply this format, select the cell(s) containing the time values, right-click, choose “Format Cells,” navigate to the Number tab, select “Time” from the Category list, and choose the desired format under “Type.”
- Long Time (e.g., 9:30:00 AM): Displays time using the default long time format. Follow the same steps as above, but choose the long time format from the list of options.
- Custom Time Formats: Excel allows users to create custom time formats to meet specific requirements. Custom time formats can include hours, minutes, seconds, and AM/PM indicators. For example:
- “h:mm AM/PM” displays time in 12-hour format without seconds.
- “h:mm:ss AM/PM” displays time in 12-hour format with seconds.
- “hh:mm:ss” displays time in 24-hour format with seconds.
Converting Text to Time
If time values are stored as text in Excel, they can be converted to time format using Excel’s built-in functions or features:
- TIMEVALUE Function: Converts a text string representing a time into a serial number that Excel recognizes as a time value. The syntax is:
=TIMEVALUE(text). - Text to Columns Feature: Allows users to split text strings into separate cells based on a delimiter, such as a colon (:) for time values. To use this feature, select the range of cells containing the text time values, go to the Data tab, and choose Text to Columns. Follow the prompts to specify the delimiter and convert the text to time.