Purpose
Return value
Syntax
=SECOND(serial_number)- serial_number - A valid time in a format Excel recognizes.
How to use
The SECOND function extracts the second component from a time as a number between 0-59. For example, given a time of "12:15:01", SECOND will return 1. The SECOND function takes just one argument, serial_number, which must be a valid Excel date or a valid Excel time.
Time can be supplied to the SECOND function as text (e.g. "7:45:30 PM") or as decimal numbers (e.g. 0.5, which equals 12:00 PM). To create a time value from scratch with separate hour, minute, and second inputs, use the TIME function.
The SECOND function will "reset" to 0 every 60 seconds (like a clock). For example, given a time duration of 10 minutes, which is 600 seconds, the SECONDS function will return 0 (zero). To work with seconds values larger than 60, use a formula to convert time to decimal seconds.
Examples
When given the time "10:45:17 AM", the SECOND function will return 17:
=SECOND("10:45:17 AM") // returns 17
The formula below demonstrates how the TIME function can be used to create the time 9:30:45 in Excel:
=TIME(9,30,45)
If we wrap the SECONDS function around the TIME function, we get 45, as expected:
=SECOND(TIME(9,30,45)) // returns 45
Note: Excel stores dates as serial numbers and times as decimal numbers. For example, the time 12:00 PM is equal to 0.5 (one half-day), and the date Jan 1, 2000 12:00 PM is equal to the serial number 32526.5 in Excel.
SECOND function videos
How to work with times
Related functions
HOUR Function
The Excel HOUR function returns the hour component of a time as a number between 0-23. For example, with a time of 9:30 AM, HOUR will return 9. You can use the HOUR function to extract the hour into a cell, or feed the result into another formula, like the TIME...
MINUTE Function
The Excel MINUTE function extracts the minute component of a time as a number between 0-59. For example, with a time of 9:45 AM, minute will return 45. You can use the MINUTE function to extract the minute into a cell, or feed the result into another function like the ...
SECOND Function
The Excel SECOND function returns the second component of a time as a number between 0-59. For example, with a time of 9:10:15 AM, second will return 15. You can use the SECOND function to extract the second into a cell, or feed the result into another formula, like the...
TIME Function
The Excel TIME function is a built-in function that allows you to create a time with individual hour, minute, and second components. The TIME function is useful when you want to assemble a proper time inside another formula.
