Converting Units in Microsoft Excel

Converting time to decimals in Excel can be a useful task for creating timesheets, calculating durations, or integrating times into other formulas. Excel offers several methods for this conversion, so you can choose the one that suits your needs and level of comfort. Here’s a breakdown of the available methods:

1. Format Your Cells First

Before starting, format your cells appropriately:

• Time format: Select the cell(s), right-click, and choose Format Cells → Number Tab → Time. Choose a format like hh:mm:ss.
• Decimal format: Select the cell(s), right-click, and choose Format Cells → Number Tab → Number. Set the number of decimal places as needed.

2. Convert Using Multiplication

You can multiply the time value by the number of hours, minutes, or seconds in a day:

Formulas:

• Convert to hours:excelCopyEdit=A2*24
• Convert to minutes:excelCopyEdit=A2*1440
• Convert to seconds:excelCopyEdit=A2*86400

Explanation:

• A day is equivalent to 1.0 in Excel’s time system.
  • 1 day = 24 hours
  • 1 day = 1,440 minutes
  • 1 day = 86,400 seconds

3. Convert Using the CONVERT Function

The CONVERT function provides another way to perform time conversions.

Syntax:

excelCopyEdit=CONVERT(reference, from_unit, to_unit)

Formulas:

• Convert to hours:excelCopyEdit=CONVERT(A2, "day", "hr")
• Convert to minutes:excelCopyEdit=CONVERT(A2, "day", "mn")
• Convert to seconds:excelCopyEdit=CONVERT(A2, "day", "sec")

Alternate Notations:

• Use "d" for days, "h" for hours, "min" for minutes, and "s" for seconds.

4. Convert Using Time Function Formulas

This method uses Excel’s time functions: HOUR, MINUTE, and SECOND.

Formulas:

• Convert to hours:excelCopyEdit=HOUR(A2) + MINUTE(A2)/60 + SECOND(A2)/3600
• Convert to minutes:excelCopyEdit=HOUR(A2)*60 + MINUTE(A2) + SECOND(A2)/60
• Convert to seconds:excelCopyEdit=HOUR(A2)*3600 + MINUTE(A2)*60 + SECOND(A2)

Explanation:

• HOUR(A2): Retrieves the hour portion of the time.
• MINUTE(A2): Retrieves the minute portion.
• SECOND(A2): Retrieves the second portion.
• These are combined with appropriate multipliers or divisors to calculate the desired unit.

5. Formatting the Results

Use the Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal buttons in the Home tab to adjust the appearance of decimal places.

• For whole numbers, format the cell using Format Cells → Number and set decimal places to zero.

Comparison of Methods:

By choosing the method that aligns with your workflow, you can efficiently convert times to decimals and integrate them seamlessly into your Excel projects.

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