Calculate Time Difference Between Two Dates in Minutes in Excel

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The article will provide you with 6 easy methods on how to calculate time difference between two dates in Excel. It is useful if anyone wants to measure his/her employee’s work by minutes or anything that requires measurement by the minute.
In the dataset, we have some Soldiers who were in training for some time. The dataset also contains information about the Starting date and Ending date of their training with times.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes


How to Calculate Time Difference Between Two Dates in Minutes in Excel: 6 Ways

1. Using Excel Arithmetic Operator to Calculate Time Difference Between Two Dates in Minutes

The simplest way to calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by Excel is to make a formula with arithmetic operators of Excel. Let’s see how we can do this.

Steps:

  • Make a column to store the duration of training in minutes and type the following formula in cell E5.
=1440*(D5-C5)

The ‘D5-C5’ part of the formula will convert the time difference between the two dates into days. As one day is equivalent to 1440 minutes, we multiply that part of the formula by 1440.

  • Press ENTER and you will see the time difference between the two dates in cells D5 and C5 by the minute.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

  • Use the Fill Handle to AutoFill the lower cells.

Thus you can calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by using the arithmetic operator.

Read More: How to Subtract Dates in Excel to Get Years


2. Applying Excel DAYS, HOUR and MINUTE Functions to Calculate Time Difference Between Two Dates in Minutes

Another way to calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by Excel is to use DAYS, HOUR, and MINUTE Functions. Let’s go through the process below.

Steps:

  • Make a column to store the duration of training in minutes and type the following formula in cell E5.
=1440*DAYS(D5,C5)+60*HOUR(D5-C5)+MINUTE(D5-C5)

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

Formula Breakdown

  • Here, DAYS(D5,C5) returns the days between the dates stored in D5 and C5. As one day is equivalent to 1440 minutes, we multiply this part of the formula by 1440.
  • HOUR(D5-C5) returns the hour difference between the hours stored in D5 and C5. As one hour is equivalent to 60 minutes, we multiply this part of the formula by 60.
  • MINUTE(D5-C5) returns the minute difference between the minutes stored in D5 and C5.
  • After summing these formulas, we get 3230 minutes which is the time difference between 23rd and 21st April in minutes

  • Press ENTER and you will see the time difference between the two dates in cell D5 and C5 by minute.

  • Use the Fill Handle to AutoFill the lower cells.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

Thus you can calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by using DAYS, HOUR and MINUTE Functions.


3. Utilizing Combined Functions to Determine Time Difference Between Two Dates in Minutes in Excel

We can also use the combination of INT, HOUR, and MINUTE Functions to calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes. Let’s see how we can do this.

Steps:

  • Make a column to store the duration of training in minutes and type the following formula in cell E5.
=1440*(INT(D5-C5)) + 60*(HOUR(D5-C5))+ MINUTE(D5-C5)

Formula Breakdown

  • Here, INT(D5-C5) returns the days between the dates stored in D5 and C5. As one day is equivalent to 1440 minutes, we multiply this part of the formula by 1440. The INT function rounds a number to its nearest integer.
  • HOUR(D5-C5) returns the hour difference between the hours stored in D5 and C5. As one hour is equivalent to 60 minutes, we multiply this part of the formula by 60.
  • MINUTE(D5-C5) returns the minute difference between the minutes stored in D5 and C5.
  • After summing these formulas, we get 3230 minutes which is the time difference between 23rd and 21st April in minutes.

  • Press ENTER and you will see the time difference between the two dates in cell D5 and C5 in minute.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

  • Use the Fill Handle to AutoFill the lower cells.

Thus you can calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by using combined functions.

Read More: Difference Between Two Dates in Months in Excel


4. Implementing Excel TEXT Function to Calculate Time Difference Between Two Dates in Minutes

Another easy way to calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by Excel is to make a formula with the TEXT Function. Let’s go through the process below.

Steps:

  • Make a column to store the duration of training in minutes and type the following formula in cell E5.
=TEXT(D5-C5,"[mm]")

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

Here, the TEXT Function converts the difference between the dates in D5 and C5 to minute.

  • Press ENTER and you will see the time difference between the two dates in cell D5 and C5 in minute.

  • Use the Fill Handle to AutoFill the lower cells.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

Thus you can calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by using the TEXT Function.


5. Using NOW Function to Determine Time Difference Between Current and Previous Dates in Minutes in Excel

If you want to calculate the time difference between today and the ending date of the training session in minutes, you can create a formula with the NOW Function. Using this function will give you an exact time difference. Let’s see how we can do this.

Steps:

  • Make a column to store the duration of training in minutes and type the following formula in cell E5.
=NOW()-D5

The formula will return the exact time difference between today and the day stored in cell D5 in days. We will convert it from the Number Format ribbon.

  • Press ENTER and you will see the time difference between today and the date in cell D5 in days.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

  • Use the Fill Handle to AutoFill the lower cells.

  • Now to convert the days to minutes, go to Home >> Number Format >> More Number Formats…

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

  • Then the Format Cells window will appear, and select Custom.
  • Type [mm] in ‘Type:’ section.
  • Click OK.

After that, you will see the exact time difference between today and the dates in the dataset in minutes.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

  • If you don’t want the trouble of formatting the days to minutes, you can use the following formula.
=TEXT(NOW()-D5,"[mm]")

Thus you can calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by using the NOW Function.


6. Applying TODAY Function to Calculate Time Difference Between Two Dates in Minutes

If you want to calculate the time difference between today and the ending date of the training session in minutes, you can create a formula with the TODAY Function. Using this function will give you a time difference between today and the date in the cell reference. However, the TODAY Function returns the date of today. and also, it returns the beginning time of today meaning 12:00 AM. So you won’t get the exact difference. Let’s go through the process below.

Steps:

  • Make a column to store the duration of training in minutes and type the following formula in cell E5.
=TEXT(TODAY()-D5,"[mm]")

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

Here, the TODAY()-D5 part of the formula returns the difference between today and the date in D5 in days. The TEXT Function converts this difference to minutes.

  • Press ENTER and you will see the time difference between today and the date in cell D5 by minute.

  • Use the Fill Handle to AutoFill the lower cells.

excel time difference between two dates in minutes

Thus you can calculate the time difference between two dates in minutes by using the TODAY Function.

Read More: How to Minus Number of Days or a Date from Today in Excel


Practice Section

In this section, I’m giving you the dataset that we used in this article so that you can practice these methods on your own.


Download Practice Workbook


Conclusion

Suffice it to say, that you can learn all the possible ways to calculate time difference between two dates in minutes after reading this article. If you have any other ideas or any feedback regarding this article, please share them in the comment box. Your valuable feedback will help me enrich my upcoming article.


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Meraz Al Nahian
Meraz Al Nahian

Md. Meraz Al Nahian has worked with the ExcelDemy project for over 1.5 years. He wrote 140+ articles for ExcelDemy. He also solved a lot of user problems and worked on dashboards. He is interested in data analysis, advanced Excel, statistics, and dashboards. He also likes to explore various Excel and VBA applications. He completed his graduation in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET). He enjoys exploring Excel-related features to gain efficiency... Read Full Bio

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