How to Use HOUR, MINUTE, and SECOND Functions in Excel (Video in Khmer)

Hello everyone! Today I show you very easy step-by-step how to use HOUR(), MINUTE(), and SECOND() functions in Microsoft Excel.

If you have time values like 14:45:30 (or 2:45:30 PM) in your spreadsheet and you want to extract only the hour number, minute number, or second number into separate columns, these 3 formulas help you very fast!

📚 Related Tutorial: Learn more foundational formulas in our guide on Top 15 Basic Excel Formulas for Beginners ↗!

📊 Quick Comparison: HOUR vs MINUTE vs SECOND

Function	What It Extracts	Result Example	Best Used For
`HOUR`	Hour number (0 to 23)	`14` (for 2:00 PM)	Shift work hours or overtime calculation
`MINUTE`	Minute number (0 to 59)	`45`	Minutes tracking or duration breakdown
`SECOND`	Second number (0 to 59)	`30`	Precise time logs

🛠️ 1. How to Use HOUR Function in Excel

The HOUR function extracts the hour part from a time cell (returns a number from 0 for 12:00 AM to 23 for 11:00 PM in 24-hour format).

Formula Syntax:

=HOUR(serial_number)

Simple Example:

If cell A2 contains time 2:45:30 PM (or 14:45:30):

=HOUR(A2)

Result: 14

🛠️ 2. How to Use MINUTE Function in Excel

The MINUTE function extracts the minute part from a time cell (returns a number from 0 to 59).

Formula Syntax:

=MINUTE(serial_number)

Simple Example:

If cell A2 contains time 2:45:30 PM:

=MINUTE(A2)

Result: 45

🛠️ 3. How to Use SECOND Function in Excel

The SECOND function extracts the second part from a time cell (returns a number from 0 to 59).

Formula Syntax:

=SECOND(serial_number)

Simple Example:

If cell A2 contains time 2:45:30 PM:

=SECOND(A2)

Result: 30

💡 Combine Hour, Minute, and Second Together (TIME Function)

If you have separate columns for Hour (A2), Minute (B2), and Second (C2), you can combine them back into a real Excel time value using =TIME():

=TIME(hour, minute, second)
=TIME(A2, B2, C2)

Result: 2:45:30 PM

💡 Pro Tips for Time Functions

Extract Current Time Component: Want to get current hour right now? Combine with NOW() function: =HOUR(NOW()).
24-Hour Military Format: Remember that HOUR() always returns 24-hour format (e.g., 1 PM returns 13, 8 PM returns 20).
Format Cell as General or Number: If Excel shows your result as 12:00:00 AM after typing =HOUR(A2), change cell format from Time to General or Number!