How to Convert Duration to Seconds in Google Sheets

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to Convert Duration to Seconds in Google Sheets", "description": "Convert hh:mm:ss durations to seconds in Google Sheets by formatting the duration column and applying a formula that multiplies by 86400.", "step": [ { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Open your spreadsheet and locate the duration column", "text": "In Google Sheets, open your file and find the column (e.g., Column B) that contains durations in hh:mm:ss format.", "url": "https://www.google.com/sheets/about/" }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Format the duration column as Duration", "text": "Select the entire column with durations, then go to the Format menu → Number → Duration to ensure Google Sheets treats the values as time." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Insert a new column labeled Seconds", "text": "Add a column next to the duration column. In the header cell (e.g., C1), enter Seconds to label it for the converted values." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Enter the formula to convert duration to seconds", "text": "In cell C2, type the formula: =B2*86400. This multiplies the duration by the number of seconds in a day (86400), since durations in Google Sheets are stored as fractions of 24 hours." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Format the Seconds column as Number", "text": "Highlight the new column, go to the Format menu → Number → Number so that values appear as whole numbers instead of time." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Copy the formula down to the remaining rows", "text": "Drag the fill handle from C2 down the column to apply the formula to all rows with a duration value." } ] }