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Entering time in Excel is a simple process that allows users to accurately record and manipulate time-related data. To enter time in Excel, users can use the “TIME” function or manually input the time in a designated cell in a specific format. For example, entering “9:00 AM” in a cell will automatically be recognized as 9:00 AM. Additionally, users can use the “:” symbol to separate hours and minutes, and the “am” or “pm” suffix to indicate morning or afternoon. Time can also be entered in a 24-hour format, such as “13:00” for 1:00 PM. Excel also allows for time calculations and formatting options, making it a versatile tool for time-related data management.
Enter Time in Excel (With Examples)
The easiest way to enter time values in Excel in a specific format is to use the Format Cells feature.
The following example shows how to do so in practice.
Example: How to Enter Time in Excel
Suppose you have a dataset in Excel that contains the names of various employees at some company and you’d like to enter the time they arrived at work on a particular day:
Suppose you would like to enter the time values in a format such as 6:15 AM.
To ensure that Excel displays the time value that you enter in this specific format, highlight the cell range B2:B13, then right click and then click Format Cells from the dropdown menu:
In the new window that appears, click Time in the Category box, then click the time format in the Type box that represents the time format you’d like to use.
For example, we’ll click 1:30 PM and then click OK:
Now, we can type 6:15 AM into cell B2 and it will displayed in the correct way:
We can then type in all of the check-in times for each employee and they will all be formatted in the correct way:
If you would like the time to also display the number of seconds then you need to choose a different time format using the Format Cells feature.
For example, you could click the format shown as 1:30:55 PM:
Once you click OK, the seconds will then be shown for each time as well:
Feel free to choose whichever time format you’d like using the Format Cells feature in Excel.
Additional Resources
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in Excel: