How enter time DURATIONS mm:ss (not clock times), then sum?
 

I want to enter a column of data as time DURATION (not clock time) in mm:ss
format and then sum the total. What cell format should I select for the
duration entries (mm:ss does not work) and what calculation steps do I need
to use to sum those durations?

Answer: How enter time DURATIONS mm:ss (not clock times), then sum?
 

To enter time durations in the [mm]:ss format and then sum them up in Microsoft Excel, you can follow these steps:

1. Select the cells where you want to enter the time durations.
2. Right-click on the selected cells and choose "Format Cells" from the context menu.
3. In the "Format Cells" dialog box, select the "Custom" category.
4. In the "Type" field, enter the following format code: [mm]:ss
5. Click "OK" to apply the custom format to the selected cells.

Now you can enter time durations in the [mm]:ss format in the selected cells. To sum up the durations, you can use the SUM function. Here's how:

1. Select the cell where you want to display the total duration.
2. Type the following formula:
   Formula:

   ---

   =SUM(A1:A10) 


   ---

   , where A1:A10 is the range of cells containing the time durations you want to sum up.
3. Press Enter to calculate the total duration.

The result will be displayed in the selected cell in the same format as the time durations you entered. You can also format the cell containing the total duration using the same custom format code [mm]:ss to ensure that it is displayed correctly.

How enter time DURATIONS mm:ss (not clock times), then sum?
 

Hi Roger

Try this.

The format should be [mm]:ss

Entry must be as 0:00:00

Use sum function to calculate total.
--
Russell Dawson
Excel Student

Please hit "Yes" if this post was helpful.


"Roger D" wrote:

I want to enter a column of data as time DURATION (not clock time) in mm:ss
format and then sum the total. What cell format should I select for the
duration entries (mm:ss does not work) and what calculation steps do I need
to use to sum those durations?

How enter time DURATIONS mm:ss (not clock times), then sum?
 

Your total can be hh:mm:ss if you want.
--
Russell Dawson
Excel Student

Please hit "Yes" if this post was helpful.


"Russell Dawson" wrote:

Hi Roger

Try this.

The format should be [mm]:ss

Entry must be as 0:00:00

Use sum function to calculate total.
--
Russell Dawson
Excel Student

Please hit "Yes" if this post was helpful.


"Roger D" wrote:

I want to enter a column of data as time DURATION (not clock time) in mm:ss
format and then sum the total. What cell format should I select for the
duration entries (mm:ss does not work) and what calculation steps do I need
to use to sum those durations?

How enter time DURATIONS mm:ss (not clock times), then sum?
 

On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 11:09:02 -0700, Roger D <Roger
wrote:

I want to enter a column of data as time DURATION (not clock time) in mm:ss
format and then sum the total. What cell format should I select for the
duration entries (mm:ss does not work) and what calculation steps do I need
to use to sum those durations?

A common misconception, with regard to dates and times, is that the cell format
has something to do with how Excel parses the input.

It does not.

If you input 55:33, Excel will interpret that as 55 hrs 33 minutes no matter
what format you have set. (Well, if you have set text, it will be interpreted
as a text string, but certain function will convert it to hrs:minutes.

If you want to input 55 min 33 sec, you'll need to enter 0:55:33. In other
words, enter your value in h:m:s or h:mm:ss format.

Some alternatives:
If you are always going to enter your data as m:ss, in an adjacent column
enter the formula
=cell_ref/60
This will convert your entry to m:ss, but won't work if you are also entering
fractions of a second.

Use a VBA macro to do the same thing.

If you are entering fractions of a second, ALL THE TIME, it might work. But
you'll have to remember to add the trailing zero.

In other words:

ENTER
55:33 -- 55 hours, 33 minutes
55:33.0 -- 55 minutes, 33 seconds





--ron