Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007 and 2010. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Formatting for Hundredths of Seconds.
Paolo wants to record times in an Excel workbook, but he needs the times to be precise, including hundredths of a second. What he would like is a format such as 1.41.73, meaning 1 minute, 41 seconds, and 73 hundredths.
This type of formatting can be easily applied to a cell in the following manner:
Figure 1. The Number tab of the Format Cells dialog box.
The format shows elapsed time, with hours, minutes, seconds, and hundredths of seconds. If you prefer, you can change what delimiters are used between each element of the time. For instance, if you want to use decimal points and drop off the hours, you can use the following format in step 6: mm.ss.00.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7557) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007 and 2010. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Formatting for Hundredths of Seconds.
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2017-05-24 02:45:40
Les
I wonder how meaningful is the value in hundredths of a second. How accurate is the timer? Are the values just arithmetic artefacts?
2013-10-28 23:44:23
Peter
I am trying to calculate the difference between times entered in 2 columns using minutes, seconds and hundredths. One is a nominated time period eg 1.23.45 and the other is an acyual time period eg 1.23.46. Using this format the answer is #value!
This is being used for a sporting event where competitors are trying to achieve a nominated time for an event and the closest to the nominated time wins. Events are of different times that sometimes inclde minutes and sometimes not or both. Using a common format for cells has been difficult.
2013-01-28 08:48:48
awyatt
Barney,
If you enter 23.89, then Excel thinks you mean 23.89 *days*, which is why you get what you do.
Instead, enter 0:23.89, and Excel will parse your entry correctly.
-Allen
2013-01-27 09:29:48
Barney
does not work. This should be easier! If you use 23.89, meaning 23 seconds and 89 hundreths, it comes out as 837:21:36.00
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007 and 2010. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: 
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