Times can be supplied to the MINUTE function as text (e.g. “7:45 PM”) or as decimal numbers (e.g. 0.5, which equals 12:00 PM). To create a time value from scratch with separate hour, minute, and second inputs, use the TIME function. The MINUTE function will “reset” to 0 every 60 minutes (like a clock). To work with minute values larger than 60, use a formula to convert time to decimal minutes.
Examples
To use the MINUTE function, supply a time value: You can use the MINUTE function to extract the minute into a cell, or feed the result into another function like the TIME function. For example, with the time 5:45 PM in cell A1, you can create a new time that includes 45 minutes like this: Times can be supplied as text (e.g. “7:45 PM”) or as decimal numbers (e.g. 0.5, which equals 12:00 PM). In general, it’s best to use the TIME function to create time values, because it reduces errors. Note: Excel stores dates and times as serial numbers. For example, the date Jan 1, 2000 12:00 PM is equal to the serial number 32526.5 in Excel. To check that Excel is correctly recognizing a date or time, you can temporarily format the date as a number.
Notes
MINUTE will return the #VALUE error if Excel interprets the given date or time as text. Minute values will “rollover” after 60 minutes. You can use a formula to convert time values to decimal minutes.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
