How to Convert Milliseconds to Seconds in Excel (2 Quick Ways)

Suppose we have the following dataset containing time values in milliseconds. In this article we’ll demonstrate how to convert these values into seconds in 2 different ways.

Sample Dataset to show how to Convert Milliseconds to Seconds in Excel

We used the Office 365 version of Microsoft Excel to prepare this article, but the methods should work in any version. If you face any problems using your version, please let us know in the comments below.

Method 1 – Using Excel Division Feature

The easiest and quickest way to convert milliseconds to seconds in Excel is to use simple division.

Steps:

In cell C5 insert the following formula:

=B5/1000

Press Enter.

Place your cursor on the bottom right position of the C5 cell.

A black Fill Handle will appear.

Drag it down to copy the formula to the cells below.

All the values in milliseconds are converted into seconds.

Method 2 – Using Paste Special Feature

We can also use the Paste Special feature to convert milliseconds to seconds in Excel.

Steps:

Select the millisecond values (B5:B10).
Right-click and choose the Copy option from the context menu.

Right-click on cell C5 and choose the Paste Values option from the context menu.

Enter 1000 in another cell (D5 here).

Right-click on cell D5 and select Copy from the context menu.

Select cells C5:C10 and right-click.
Choose the Paste Special… option from the context menu.

The Paste Special window will appear.

In the Operation group, put the radio button on the Divide option.
Click on the OK button.

All the millisecond values are converted to seconds.

Convert Milliseconds to Time Format in Excel

To convert millisecond values to time values, combine the CONCATENATE, TEXT, and INT functions.

Steps:

In cell C5, insert the following formula and press Enter:

=CONCATENATE(TEXT(INT(B5/1000)/86400,"hh:mm:ss"),".",B5-(INT(B5/1000)*1000))

Formula Breakdown:

=TEXT(INT(B5/1000)/86400,”hh:mm:ss”):
Divides the value in cell B5 by 1000 and subsequently by 86400, then converts the integer result into text format in “hours:minutes:seconds” format.
Result: 12:44:32
=B5-(INT(B5/1000)*1000):
Divides cell B5‘s value by 1000 and converts it into an integer, then multiplies the result by 1000 and subtracts it from the value of cell B5.
Result: 0
=CONCATENATE(TEXT(INT(B5/1000)/86400,”hh:mm:ss”),”.”,B5-(INT(B5/1000)*1000)):
Combines the first result with a decimal point (.) and joins it with the second result.
Result: 12:44:32.0