How to Calculate Age in Minutes Using Google Sheets

Adam Steinfurth

Calculating age in minutes can be helpful for various purposes, such as finding the duration of a process or measuring the elapsed time since an event occurred. Google Sheets provides several functions that make it easy to calculate age in minutes.

Manual Calculation with a Formula

Here’s how you can calculate age in minutes using a traditional formula in Google Sheets:

  1. Enter the starting date and time in one cell and the current date and time in another cell. For example, if you want to calculate the age of a project from the start date and time, enter the start date and time in cell A2 and the current date and time in cell B2.
  2. Enter the following formula in another cell: =(B2-A2)*24*60. This formula subtracts the start date and time from the current date and time, giving the elapsed time in days. It then multiplies the result by 24 to convert the elapsed time to hours and then by 60 to convert the elapsed time to minutes.
  3. The result will show the project’s age in minutes.

For example, if you apply this formula to a project that started on May 1st, 2023, at 10:00 AM and the current date and time is May 11th, 2023, at 2:30 PM, you’ll get the result 14,670.

Formula arriving at age in minutes
Difference in Minutes

⚠️ For a dynamic result that shows the current age, use the NOW function for the value in B2.

Live Examples in Google Sheets

Make a copy of this Google Sheet to use the example.

TIMEDIF For Hours, Minutes, Seconds – No Formulas

Consider using the TIMEDIF add-on for an automatic calculation. This add-on creates an accurate result with no formulas.

Example usage of the TIMEDIF add-on
TIMEDIF Google Sheets Add-On

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