Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later 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 4: mm.ss.00.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3085) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Formatting for Hundredths of Seconds.
Save Time and Supercharge Excel! Automate virtually any routine task and save yourself hours, days, maybe even weeks. Then, learn how to make Excel do things you thought were simply impossible! Mastering advanced Excel macros has never been easier. Check out Excel 2010 VBA and Macros today!
Need to cram a bunch of text all on a single line in a cell? You can do it with one of the lesser-known settings in Excel.
Discover MoreWant a quick way to add some underlines to your cell values? It's easy using the shortcuts provided in this tip.
Discover MoreYou can shade your cells by filling them with a pattern. Here's how to select the pattern you want used.
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-08-31 11:24:07
Mark Leman
Further to my comment below,
I prefer to use MM:SS.00 times as text and convert to decimal seconds (SSSS.00) to do any calculation, converting back to MM:SS.00 for display.
I prefer this formula to convert a text time in MM:SS.00 -> decimal
=IFERROR((IFERROR(LEFT(A1,FIND(“:”,A1)-1)* 60,0) ) + RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND(“:”,A1)),VALUE(A1))
It will accept either MM:SS.00 or SS.00.
However it is a bit cumbersome so I wrote some VB code to do it better and implement
=MMSSHH2dec() and =dec2MMSSHH()
You can find this code on my blog a leman.net
Regards,
Mark Leman
2019-08-18 16:03:22
Mark Leman
The problem with this is, if you enter a time with hundredths and then click on it to edit, excel looses the hundredths part :-(
Try it.....
Set a custom number format on a cell as HH:MM.00
enter 2:30.45
(2mins 30sec 45 hundredths)
Then click on the cell to edit and press enter
the time will now say
2:30.00
Really frustrating!
I have use excel to do a lot of work with swimming times in mm:ss.00 format and always store them in text.
I have VB code to convert them to seconds.00 and do the maths in that format before converting back to mm:ss.00 for display.
2016-02-08 14:27:29
Ron Coreau
Hello
I'm trying to convert an old running log that has the time in 100's of second.
Tried various was to do it but cannot obtain a consistent output.
Example 250100 seconds /6000 equals 41.68. Sometime the conversion formula works to 41:41 other times it does not.
=FLOOR.MATH(M14)&(M14-FLOOR.MATH(M14))*60 and then next cell =TEXT(N14,"0:00")
Great site
Thanks for any help.
Ron Coreau
2016-01-19 13:44:48
Scott Renz
Hi Blaz,
You click on Custom then in the box under Type: you type in your formula.
2016-01-19 13:41:57
Scott Renz
Thanks, Rick Harris.
2016-01-17 11:15:49
Blaz
In my excel missing this formula. I have only in format mm:ss.0. How to get your formula?
2014-07-28 14:34:45
Alan Jacklin
Can still not get this to work as I am trying to change 90.05 (ss:00) into (mm:ss.00)as it should be coming out like 1 (min) .30 (seconds) :05 (100s of a second)
2014-02-17 11:14:56
Rick Harris
Scott - Did you ever get an answer to your question from July?
If you enter the format as [h]:mm:ss."00" it will round to the nearest second and display the .00 at the end each time.
2014-02-17 11:08:53
Rick Harris
But how do I get 2.59 hours to display as 02:35:24 (2 hours, 35 minutes, & 24 seconds)? As soon as I set the format to a time base, Excel looks at this as 2.59 days.
Thank you
2013-11-25 09:42:08
Scott Renz
Hi Nicholas,
No, it does not appear. You have to type it in yourself from your keyboard.
2013-11-24 11:57:32
I have office 2007 and this combination doesn't appear ([h]:mm:ss.00), is there somewhere you can download it or update?
Thanks
2013-07-04 17:05:56
Sama
I am really thankful for your tip :) it took me lots of hours to solve this problem but I couldnot!
Thanks
2013-07-01 11:29:24
Scott Renz
What if I want to add hard coded .00 at the end of each time?
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: 
Comments