Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Calculating Time Differences between Two Machines.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 13, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Don has a computer that has access to several different servers over his office network. These servers do not have their clocks synchronized, and Don was wondering if there was a way, in VBA, to determine the time discrepancy between a given server and his machine.
In order to figure out the time discrepancy, you'll need to figure out two times—one on your machine and one on the server—and then compare them. Getting the time on your own machine is easy enough; just use the Time function in VBA. Getting the time on another machine is more difficult, as there is no built-in function that facilitates this task.
You can, however, use an API function call to determine the time on a remote server. Exactly how you would develop such a function call is beyond the scope of this tip, but you can find a pretty good tutorial online for accomplishing the task:
http://www.mvps.org/access/api/api0039.htm
Take a look at the page, and you can adapt the code to fit your needs. The fGetServerTime function returns a string that contains the complete date and time. You can then use the TimeValue function in your macro to convert this string into a native Excel time value. Once converted, you can compare the value to the internal system time to determine the discrepancy you need.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9268) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Calculating Time Differences between Two Machines.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
When writing a macro, you may want to fill a range of cells with different values. The easiest way to do this is to use ...
Discover MoreNeed to know the current hour of the day? You can derive the information in your macros by using the Hour function, as ...
Discover MoreGot a workbook that has lots and lots of macros associated with it? Here's a way you can get a list of all of those ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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:
Comments