The Excel file contains information on the time 6 cyclists took to complete a cycling contest. They are ranked in ascending order.
Method 1 – Use the 1904 Date System to Subtract and Display Negative Time in Excel
Step 1:
- Click the File tab.
- Click Options.
Step 2:
- Click Advanced options.
- Choose When calculating this workbook.
- Check Use 1904 date system.
- Click OK.
Negative times will be displayed in the correct format.
Read More: How to Subtract Hours from Time in Excel
Method 2 – Apply the TEXT Function to Display Negative Time in Excel
Step 1:
- Enter the following formula in F6.
=IF(D5-D6>=0,TEXT(D5-D6,"mm:ss"),TEXT(ABS(D5-D6),"-H::MM"))Formula Breakdown:
- IF will perform a logical test (D5-D6>=0) to find out if the subtracted time value is positive. If the test returns TRUE, no changes will be made.
- If the test returns FALSE, the function will first determine the absolute value of the subtracted time using the ABS feature. The TEXT feature will add a minus (-) in front of the subtracted time value using “-H::MM” as the text format.
- Press ENTER and negative time will be displayed in F6.
Step 2:
- Use the Fill Handle to drag the formula across the cells you want to fill.
Negative times are displayed in the Corrected Format column:
Read More: How to Subtract Minutes from Time in Excel
Method 3 – Using the Combination of TEXT, MAX, and MIN Formulas to Display Negative Time
Step 1:
- Enter the following formula in F6.
=TEXT(MAX($D$5:$D$6)-MIN($D$5:$D$6),"-H::MM")Formula Breakdown:
- The MAX function will determine the larger value in the absolute range $D$5:$D$6 whereas the MIN function will determine the smaller one in the same range.
- The smaller value in the absolute range $D$5:$D$6 will be subtracted from the larger value in that range.
- The TEXT function will then put a minus (-) in front of the subtracted time value using “-H::MM” as the text format.
- Press ENTER and negative time will be displayed in F6.
Step 2:
- Enter the formula in the rest of the cells.
Negative times will be displayed in the Corrected Format column.
Read More: How to Subtract 30 Minutes from a Time in Excel
Quick Notes
The MAX and MIN functions determine the largest and smallest values in a range. We are determining the larger and smaller values between two cells only. Therefore, cell reference must be absolute ($D$5:$D$6). Otherwise, both functions will throw errors.
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Any chance that Microsoft will ever fix this bug?
I’ve looked all over, and keep finding these pseudo solutions / workarounds. None of that should be necessary.
You don’t have to use the absolute ranges on the min and max functions here, relative should work just fine in this case.
Hello David Berg,
You’re absolutely right! In this case, using relative ranges with MIN and MAX should work just fine.
We used absolute references here to keep the range fixed ($D$5:$D$6), ensuring consistency when calculating the difference across cells. This approach avoids errors that could arise if the range were to shift when copying the formula to other cells, which is important in contexts where you want consistent values from the same range.
Regards
ExcelDemy