TIMEVALUE Function in Excel: Text Time to Real Time

⏱ 1 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

DateLevel: IntermediateAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. Common errors and fixes
  5. Related functions

TIMEVALUE turns text like “2:45 PM” into a real time you can add and subtract.

Syntax

=TIMEVALUE(time_text)
Argument What it means
time_text Text Excel recognises as a time.

Examples

Example 1

=TIMEVALUE(C2)-TIMEVALUE(B2)

Shift length from two text columns; format as [h]:mm.

Common errors and fixes

You see Why, and the fix
#VALUE! Text like “14.45” or “2:45PM IST” — clean it with SUBSTITUTE first.

DATEVALUE · TIME

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