You can use either array-based or non-array-based formulas to increment time in Google Sheets by minutes or hours from a given start time or datetime (timestamp).

I prefer array-based formulas because they allow you to quickly generate a series of incremental times across a column or row with minimal effort.

An incremented time series is especially useful for tracking events that occur at regular intervals—such as every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour. Let’s start with the non-array formulas.

Non-Array Formulas to Increment Time in Google Sheets

If you want to manually create a series of times in a column or row, the following non-array formulas will help you increment time by hours or minutes in Google Sheets.

1-Hour Intervals (Non-Array Formula)

To create a series of times in a column starting from 00:00:00, enter the start time in any cell—say, A2—and use the following formula in the cell below (e.g., A3), then drag it downward:

=A2 + 60 / (24 * 60)

What happens when you drag the formula down:
As you drag the formula down, it adds 1 hour (60 minutes) to each previous cell, creating a time series in 1-hour intervals.

Optional:
To display the time in 12-hour format, go to:
Format > Number > Custom Number Format, and enter:

h:mm am/pm

If you want to start at a specific time like 08:00 AM, just enter 08:00 in cell A2. No need to change the formula.

To increment datetime by hours in Google Sheets, simply enter the full date and time—like 01/01/2025 00:00—in the starting cell (e.g., A2). The formula remains the same. Just make sure to change the cell format to datetime by going to Format > Number > Date Time so that Google Sheets recognizes it correctly.

2-Hour Intervals (Non-Array Formula)

To increment time by 2 hours, modify the formula slightly:

=A2 + 120 / (24 * 60)

The change is minimal compared to the 1-hour version—just replace 60 with 120 (i.e., 2 hours).

15 or 30-Minute Intervals (Non-Array Formula)

To increment time by minutes in Google Sheets, such as 15 or 30-minute intervals:

30-Minute Interval:

=A2 + 30 / (24 * 60)

15-Minute Interval:

=A2 + 15 / (24 * 60)

If you want to start from a specific time or datetime, simply enter that value in the cell above where you apply the formula. The formula itself remains unchanged.

Generate Time or Datetime Series Horizontally in Google Sheets

To generate the time series horizontally across columns:

• Place your starting time or datetime in a cell (say, A2)
• Apply the formula in the cell to the right (e.g., B2)
• Drag the formula to the right to increment by 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours—depending on your chosen formula.

Array Formulas to Increment Time in Google Sheets

As mentioned earlier, it’s much easier to increment time by n hours or minutes in Google Sheets using array formulas, especially with the SEQUENCE function.

SEQUENCE Function Syntax

SEQUENCE(rows, [columns], [start], [step])

• rows/columns – number of time values to generate
• start – starting time or datetime
• step – the amount of time to increment per row/column

1-Hour Intervals (Array Formula)

To increment time by hours in Google Sheets using SEQUENCE:

In a column:

=SEQUENCE(24, 1, TIME(0, 0, 0), TIME(1, 0, 0))

This returns a time series from 00:00 to 23:00 across 24 rows.

To format the results:
Go to Format > Number > Time.

In a row:

=SEQUENCE(1, 24, TIME(0, 0, 0), TIME(1, 0, 0))

2-Hour Intervals (Array Formula)

To increment time by 2 hours in Google Sheets, simply change the step value from TIME(1, 0, 0) to TIME(2, 0, 0):

=SEQUENCE(12, 1, TIME(0, 0, 0), TIME(2, 0, 0))

This returns a time series from 00:00 to 22:00 across 12 rows.

15 or 30-Minute Intervals (Array Formula)

To increment time by 30 minutes in Google Sheets, use:

=SEQUENCE(48, 1, TIME(0, 0, 0), TIME(0, 30, 0))

For 15-minute intervals, the formula becomes:

=SEQUENCE(96, 1, TIME(0, 0, 0), TIME(0, 15, 0))

If you’d like the results displayed horizontally across a row, use:

=SEQUENCE(1, 96, TIME(0, 0, 0), TIME(0, 15, 0))

Increment Datetime by Hours or Minutes in Google Sheets

To increment datetime by hours or minutes in Google Sheets, modify the start argument to include both date and time.

For example:

=SEQUENCE(48, 1, DATE(2025, 5, 12) + TIME(10, 0, 0), TIME(0, 30, 0))

This starts at 12 May 2025, 10:00 AM and increments by 30 minutes.

How to Customize the Start Time

To change the starting time or datetime:

• Replace TIME(0, 0, 0) (the third argument in the formula) with your desired time, e.g., TIME(8, 0, 0)
• Or use a full datetime: DATE(2025, 1, 1) + TIME(9, 0, 0)
• Also adjust the number of rows or columns (the first and second arguments in the formula) based on how many intervals you need

Conclusion

Using both array and non-array methods, you can easily increment time by n hours or minutes in Google Sheets, whether you’re working with pure time values or full datetime stamps.

The array approach using SEQUENCE is more efficient and flexible, especially when working with larger intervals or needing a cleaner formula structure.

Whether you’re scheduling tasks, creating timesheets, or tracking event intervals, these formulas help you increment time or datetime by n hours or minutes in Google Sheets with ease.

Resources

Here are some related tutorials:

• Mastering Time Functions in Google Sheets
• Create Custom Time Slot Sequences in Google Sheets
• How to Highlight Recurring Events or Payment Dates in Google Sheets
• Google Sheets: Create a Dynamic Gantt Chart Timescale
• Adding N Blank Rows to SEQUENCE Results in Google Sheets
• Create a Dynamic Fibonacci Sequence in Google Sheets
• How to Number Rows as 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 in Google Sheets
• Time Sequences in Excel by Minute, Hour, or Second Increments