Calculators & everyday math
How to Add Hours and Minutes
Adding lengths of time — two videos, a week of workouts, time spent on tasks — works like ordinary addition, except that minutes and seconds carry at 60 instead of 10. This guide shows the method, a quick way to total a list, and a spreadsheet pitfall.
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Add, then carry
- Add the minutes: 45 + 30 = 75.
- Carry every 60 minutes into an hour: 75 minutes is 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Add the hours, including the carried hour: 1 + 2 + 1 = 4.
- So 1h 45m + 2h 30m = 4h 15m.
With seconds
Seconds carry into minutes the same way: 45m 50s + 30m 20s is 75m 70s, which becomes 76m 10s, and then 1h 16m 10s.
Totalling a list
Add all the minutes, then all the hours, and carry once at the end. For 1h 20m, 45m, 2h 35m, and 50m, the minutes total 150 (2h 30m) and the hours total 3, giving 5 hours 30 minutes.
In a spreadsheet
Spreadsheets store times as fractions of a day, so a total of more than 24 hours can wrap around and show a small number. Format the total with a duration format such as [h]:mm, which keeps counting hours past 24.
Add Hours and Minutes FAQ
- How do I add hours and minutes together?
- Add the minutes, carry every 60 minutes into an hour, then add the hours.
- What is 1 hour 45 minutes plus 2 hours 30 minutes?
- 4 hours 15 minutes.
- How do I add times in a spreadsheet without the total resetting after 24 hours?
- Format the total cell with [h]:mm.
- Can I add decimal hours instead?
- Yes, if every entry is in decimal hours: 1.75 + 2.5 = 4.25 hours, which is 4 hours 15 minutes.
- How do I add more than two durations with the Time Duration Calculator?
- Add two, then enter the result as the first duration and add the next one.
Related guides
- Subtract DurationsSubtract one length of time from another by borrowing minutes and hours, handle negative results, and take a break off a shift total.
- Hours, Minutes, SecondsConvert durations between hours, minutes, and seconds, split a number of seconds into hours, minutes, and seconds, and turn decimal hours into minutes.
Open the tool
Jump into Time Duration Calculator when you are ready to process your files.
