MS Excel: SECOND function to extract second component

Fakhriddinbek
May 4
2 min read

The SECOND function in Excel allows you to extract the second component (0 to 59) from a time or a date-time value. This is especially useful for time tracking, timestamp breakdown, and any situation where seconds matter—such as logging system events or analyzing performance durations.

Excel window showing a "Function Arguments" dialog box for the SECOND function. The toolbar is visible, and the background is a spreadsheet.

Syntax

=SECOND(serial_number)

Argument:

Argument	Required	Description
serial_number	Yes	A valid time, or a cell containing a time or date-time value (e.g., 12:45:23)

Excel stores dates and times as serial numbers. For example, 0.5 represents 12:00:00 PM, and the decimal part corresponds to the time of day.

Examples

Example 1: Basic Time Input

=SECOND("14:25:45")

Result: 45→ Extracts the second component from the time 14:25:45.

Example 2: Cell Reference

Assume A2 contains 9:03:17 AM

=SECOND(A2)

Result: 17

Example 3: Extract from Date-Time

If A3 contains 2025-05-04 18:22:59

=SECOND(A3)

Result: 59→ The date part is ignored; only the time’s second component is returned.

Example 4: Using NOW Function

=SECOND(NOW())

Result: The current second based on your system clock.

Sample Table

Time Value	Formula	Result
12:45:30	=SECOND(A2)	30
18:59:05	=SECOND(A3)	5
=NOW()	=SECOND(NOW())	e.g., 22 (dynamic)

Tips & Notes

The result will always be an integer from 0 to 59.
Works with both text strings like "10:15:30" and date-time serial numbers.
If the input is a whole number (like 5), the second component is 0.

Related Functions

Function	Description
HOUR	Returns the hour from a time value
MINUTE	Returns the minute from a time
NOW	Returns current date and time
TIME	Creates a time from hour, minute, second
TIMEVALUE	Converts text to time

Summary Table

Feature	Description
Function Name	SECOND
Purpose	Extracts the second component from a time
Returns	Integer (0 to 59)
Argument Type	Time serial number or time string
Excel Version	Excel 2007 and later

Conclusion

The SECOND function is a straightforward but valuable tool when precision timing is essential. Whether you're analyzing timestamps or building a custom time dashboard, SECOND helps isolate the exact time component you need.