Subtraction methods in Excel aren't the quickest or simplest, but if you need to get it done, we can show you how to subtract in Excel. Here's how.

Excel provides two options for calculating the difference between two times. If you use a simple subtraction operation such as "=C1-A1," select the custom format "h:mm" from the Format Cells options.

Subtracting isn’t as straightforward in Excel as it seems, simply because there’s no actual command to subtract numbers. Instead, you have to use a formula with the subtraction operator.

How to subtract in Excel using cell references You don't have to subtract numbers in a single cell; you can also set up a formula that will subtract the values stored in multiple cells.

With the date written in and formatted, you can now enter the formula to subtract the date. You would enter that in the appropriate cell for your Excel document.