Excel: Convert Time to Decimal Hours
The fastest Excel formula to convert any time value to decimal hours.
If cell A1 contains a time value (e.g., 7:45):
Result: 7.75 (decimal hours)
Why Multiply by 24?
Excel stores time as a fraction of a 24-hour day. When you enter 7:45, Excel internally stores it as 0.322917 (which is 7.75/24). Multiplying by 24 reverses this, giving you the total hours as a decimal number.
7:45 AM internally = 0.322917
0.322917 × 24 = 7.75 hours
Three Methods in Excel
Method 1: Multiply by 24 (Recommended)
=A1 * 24
Simplest and fastest. Works in Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc.
Method 2: HOUR + MINUTE functions
=HOUR(A1) + MINUTE(A1)/60
More verbose but self-documenting. Good when you want to see the formula logic clearly.
Method 3: TEXT function + value conversion
=VALUE(TEXT(A1,"h"))+VALUE(TEXT(A1,"mm"))/60
Useful when time is stored as text rather than a true time value.
Google Sheets
The same =A1*24 formula works in Google Sheets. Format the result cell as a Number (not Time) to see the decimal value properly.
Common Pitfalls
Result still shows as time
Format the result cell as "Number" with 2 decimal places, not "Time."
Time stored as text
If your time is text (e.g., imported from CSV), use TIMEVALUE() first: =TIMEVALUE(A1)*24
Negative values for overnight
If end time < start time (overnight shift), use: =MOD(B1-A1,1)*24