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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsGoogle Sheets can track time in three practical ways. You can store start and end times in cells, subtract them to get a duration, and format the totals as elapsed hours. If your work already appears on Google Calendar, Google’s Apps Script sample can import those events into a sheet and group them by customer, project, and task. If you would rather not build anything, you can adapt a prebuilt timesheet template. The right choice depends mostly on whether your hours are already recorded somewhere else.
Choose the method that fits how your time is recorded
Before you build anything, decide where the record of your work will come from. If you type in your hours at the end of each day, a manual log is the simplest option. If your meetings and work blocks already sit on a calendar, automation can save entry time, but only for the work that is actually represented there. If you need a ready structure for a pay period or shift schedule, start from a template.
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| Approach | Best for | Setup effort | Main risk | Source for the capability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual time log with formulas | Freelancers and small teams who record hours daily and want full control of columns | Low: a sheet, a few formulas, one number format | Missed entries and text values that look like times but do not calculate | Google’s documentation on date, time, and number formats |
| Calendar-to-Sheets automation (Apps Script sample) | People whose billable work is already scheduled on Google Calendar | Moderate: script setup, authorization, and configuration | Calendar entries that do not match actual time worked | Google’s published Apps Script sample for Calendar-to-Sheets timesheets |
| Prebuilt timesheet template | Readers who want a starting layout for shifts or pay periods | Low to moderate: copy and adjust columns | Layout that does not match your pay period, categories, or reporting rules | Smartsheet’s list of Google Sheets timesheet and time-card templates |
Method 1: A manual time log
A manual log gives you the most control and needs no permissions. It works because Google Sheets stores dates and times as numbers, so subtraction returns a duration you can add up.
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Build the log step by step
- Create a header row with the columns Date, Client, Project, Task, Start, End, and Duration. Add a Notes column if you need one.
- Enter the start and end times as real times, such as
9:00 AMand5:30 PM. Confirm each one is recognized as a time. Values that stay left-aligned are usually stored as text, and text will not calculate. - In the first Duration cell (for example, G2 when your times are in E and F), enter
=F2-E2. Fill the formula down the column. - Select the Duration column and apply an elapsed-hours format through Format > Number > Custom number format. Google’s format guide documents
[h+]as the elapsed-hours pattern, which keeps counting past 24 hours instead of wrapping back to zero. - Place a total at the top of the sheet with
=SUM(G2:G500), formatted the same way. Multiply that total by 24 only if you need a decimal figure such as 37.5 hours for an invoice.
Handle overnight shifts
A shift that starts at 10:00 PM and ends at 6:00 AM produces a negative result with a plain subtraction. A common workaround is =MOD(F2-E2,1), which adds a full day when the end time falls earlier than the start time. Test this with one overnight entry before relying on it for totals.
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Check the locale setting
Google’s documentation notes that the display of date and time formats can depend on the spreadsheet’s locale. A time typed as 3:15 may be read differently in a sheet set to another region, and a sheet shared with a colleague in a different locale can display the same stored value differently. Check the locale under File > Settings before you start, and keep it consistent across any shared log.
Method 2: Calendar-to-Sheets automation
Google publishes an Apps Script sample that imports selected Calendar events into a Google Sheet, lets you categorize each event by customer, project, and task, and presents totals on a dashboard. It can also be configured to update Calendar event titles and descriptions from values in the sheet. Treat it as a small automation project rather than a switch you flip. It depends on script configuration and permissions, and it does not record billable time on its own.
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Set it up
- Open Google’s Calendar-to-Sheets timesheet sample from its Apps Script samples and create a copy of the project in your own Google account.
- Run the setup function and approve the authorization prompts for Google Calendar and Google Sheets. Review what each permission allows before you accept.
- Select the calendars to include and the time period to import. Start with a single calendar and a short date range so you can check the results.
- Import the events, then assign each one a customer, project, and task category.
- Review the totals on the dashboard and compare them with what you remember working. Only then widen the calendars or date range.
Know what automation cannot fix
- Unscheduled work is invisible. Email, research, or a task you started without a calendar block will not appear in the totals.
- Placeholder events inflate hours. A recurring block you never actually worked still counts unless you exclude or recategorize it.
- Categories depend on your discipline. The import saves entry time, but someone still has to label events correctly.
- Write-back changes your calendar. If you enable the option that updates Calendar titles and descriptions, edits in the sheet modify the events themselves. Test it on a copy of your calendar first.
Method 3: Start from a prebuilt template
Smartsheet lists Google Sheets timesheet and time-card templates, including a layout for daily shift start and finish times. A template is useful when you need a structure quickly, especially for hourly shifts. Copy the template into your own Drive, then check three things before using it:
- Whether its columns match the categories you bill or report on.
- Whether its pay-period logic matches your schedule. A template’s period and totals may be built for a weekly pattern you do not use.
- Whether its overtime or break handling fits your situation. A template establishes that a layout exists. It does not establish that the layout meets payroll rules or legal requirements where you work, so confirm those with your employer or accountant.
Going further: add-ons and Apps Script
If a log outgrows formulas, Google documents several extension options: custom menus, sidebars, custom functions, connections to external services, macros, and triggers. Add-ons are installed through Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons, and custom scripts are written in Extensions > Apps Script. Before you install a third-party add-on, read its listing, its permission requests, and its own documentation. Capabilities differ widely between add-ons, so do not assume one covers what another does.
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Keep a large tracker responsive
A small personal log recalculates instantly. A tracker with thousands of rows and many dependent formulas does not. Google recommends using volatile functions such as TODAY, NOW, and RAND sparingly, because they can prompt recalculation across related cells whenever the sheet updates. For a running clock, enter a timestamp manually or limit the volatile formula to a single cell instead of a whole column.
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Common problems and fixes
- The duration shows a strange number such as 0.5625 or a date. The cell is not using an elapsed or time format. Reapply the format from Method 1.
- Totals stop at 24 hours. The total is using a standard time format instead of an elapsed-hours format.
- Durations are blank or zero. One of the times is text. Retype it, or use Data validation to restrict the column to times.
- Times change after sharing the file. The locale differs between accounts. Align the setting and re-enter one row to confirm.
- Calendar import misses events. Check the selected calendars and the date range first, then confirm the events are not declined or hidden.
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