How to calculate the average time in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=AVERAGE(B2:B8)Use AVERAGE and format the result as a time: =AVERAGE(B2:B8).
- Result on the example
- 8:56 AM in
E1 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in E1. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
Times are fractions of a day, so AVERAGE works on them like on any other numbers. The result is a fraction too, and formatted as a time it shows the average arrival: 8:56 AM.
=AVERAGE(B2:B8)Result0.3726190476
B2:B87 rows × 1 col: 8:52 AM, 9:05 AM, 8:47 AM, 9:14 AM, …A range: 7 cells in one column.
AVERAGE(B2:B8)0.3726190476AVERAGE: Arithmetic mean of the numbers.- number1
B2:B87 rows × 1 col: 8:52 AM, 9:05 AM, 8:47 AM, 9:14 AM, …
- number1
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =AVERAGE(B2:B8). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns 8:56 AM.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =SUM(B2:B8)/COUNT(B2:B8) | 8:56 AM | The same, spelled out. |
| =TEXT(AVERAGE(B2:B8),"h:mm AM/PM") | 8:56 AMDifferent result | As text. Text. |
Common mistakes
- Times either side of midnight average badly: 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM average to noon. Add 1 to the after-midnight times before averaging.
- Times stored as text are skipped. Convert them with TIMEVALUE.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Calculate the average time
E1, calculate the average arrival time.Questions
How do I average durations, like call lengths?
The same AVERAGE works; format the result as h:mm:ss or mm:ss.
How do I average times with a condition?
=AVERAGEIFS(B2:B8,A2:A8,">="&start_date).
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.