How to Create a Stopwatch in Excel (with Easy Steps)

Step 1 – Display Stopwatch Clock in Excel

• Select the desired cell range, e.g., B4:C4.
• Navigate to the Home
• Choose the Merge and Center option from the Alignment group and select Middle and Center align.
• From the Font group, select the fill color as Blue Lighter 80%. Select Bold and All Border.

• From the Home tab, click the Expand icon from the Number group.

• The Format Cells will appear.
• From the Format Cells window, select Custom and select h:mm:ss from the options in the Type box.
• Click OK.

• Select B4 cell and enter 0:00:00.
• Press Enter. A stopwatch will appear on the sheet.

Read More: How to Add Command Button Programmatically with Excel VBA 

Step 2 – Establish VBA Macro to Start Stopwatch

• Go to the Developer tab and click on Visual Basic.

• Click Insert and select Module.

• Enter the following code in the Module Box.

Option Explicit
Public countDown As Date
Sub StartTimer()
countDown = Now + TimeValue("00:00:01")
Range("B4") = Range("B4") + TimeValue("00:00:01")
Application.OnTime countDown, "StartTimer"
End Sub

• Enter the Procedure Name in the StartTimer. The Stopwatch App will start up when you run this Macro.
• Press Ctrl + S.

Step 3 – Generate Another Macro to Reset Time-Tracker

• Open the Module.
• Enter the following code in the Module Box.

Sub ResetTimer()
Range("B4") = TimeValue("00:00:0")
End Sub

• ResetTimer is the Procedure Name. This Macro can reset the Clock.
• Press Ctrl + S.

Step 4 – Build Last Macro to STOP Stopwatch in Excel

• Open the Module.
• Enter the following code into the Module Box.

Sub StopTimer()
Application.OnTime EarliestTime:=countDown, Procedure:="StartTimer", Schedule:=False
End Sub

• This Macro is to stop the Time-tracker App.
• Press Ctrl + S.

Step 5 – Implement Buttons for Stopwatch

• Go to the Developer tab.
• From the Controls group, click on the Insert icon.

• In Form Controls, choose the following Button symbol.

• Insert the rectangle symbol right below cell B4.
• Choose the StartTimer procedure from the Assign Macro. Click OK.

• Click on the button’s text area and click on the Home tab.
• Choose Middle and Center align from the Alignment group.
• Click on the B icon and change the font size to 20.

• Change the name of the button. We have named it START.

• Make another button to stop or pause following the same procedure.
• Draw this button and place it below Button1.
• Choose StopTimer option from the Assign Macro window and click OK.

• Click on the text area of the button and go to the Home tab.
• Click the B icon and change the font size to 20.
• In the Alignment group, choose Middle and Center align.
• Label the button. We have labelled it STOP.

• Make another button to reset.
• Draw the button and place it below the Button2.
• The Assign Macro window will appear.
• In the Assign Macro window, choose ResetTimer from the options. Click OK.

• Click the button’s text area and go to the Home tab.
• Click the B symbol and change the font size to 20.
• In the Alignment section, choose Middle and Center align.
• Change the button’s name. We have labelled it RESET.

Read More: How to Make a Calculate Button in Excel

Step 6 – Check Stopwatch Timer

• Click the Reset button.
• Press START.
• Tap the STOP button when you are done.
• Click the Reset button to set the Stopwatch Timer back to Zero.
• Press START.
• Press STOP when you are done.
• Tap the RESET button to reset it to zero.

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