How to Convert Seconds to Minutes

Last Updated: October 28, 2022

There are 60 seconds in every minute, so converting seconds to minutes is simple. Just divide the number of seconds by 60 to get your answer!^{[1]
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Steps

1
Know that there are 60 seconds in 1 minute. No matter what country you are in or part of the globe, there are always 60 seconds in every minute.^{[2]
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- After 60 seconds have passed, there has been one minute.
- After another 60 seconds (120 seconds total), two minutes have passed.
- After 180 seconds (60 + 60 + 60), three minutes have passed.
2
Divide the number of seconds by 60 to convert seconds to minutes. Every 60 seconds a full minute has passed. Dividing a number tells you how many times one number "fits" in the other. Take the question, "If 360 seconds have passed, how many minutes have passed?" We need to know how many 60 second chunks fit into 360 seconds, so we divide. 360 / 60 = 6, so our answer is 6 minutes.^{[3]
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- Example: How many minutes are in 240 seconds?
- 1 Minute = 60 Seconds
- 240 / 60
- Answer: There are 4 minutes in 240 seconds.
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3
Convert decimals back into seconds by multiplying them by 60. Oftentimes the number of seconds will not perfectly convert into minutes. This decimal represents the number of seconds left over. For example, 90 seconds equals 1.5 minutes (90 / 60). This means that there is 1 minute plus an extra half of a minute (.5 of a minute) in 90 seconds. To convert this back to seconds, simply multiply the decimal by 60. Answer: There is 1 minute and 30 (.5 x 60) seconds in 90 seconds.
- Example: How many minutes is 7600 seconds?
- 7600 / 60 = 126.6 minutes
- 0.6 x 60 = 36 seconds
- Answer There are 126 minutes and 36 seconds in 7600 seconds.
4
Check your work by multiplying your answer by 60. If you did your work correctly, you'll end up with the same number of seconds that you started with. Looking at the previously example, notice that 126.6 x 60 = 7600, so the answer is correct.
5
Try some practice problems. Practice your conversions with the following examples. There are answers at the bottom.
- 1) Convert 45667 seconds to minutes
  - Answer: 761 min and 7 seconds
- 2) Convert 99800 seconds to minutes
  - Answer: 1663 min and 20 seconds
- 3) Convert 4454457555 seconds to minutes
  - Answer: 74240959 min and 15 seconds
6
Divide the number of minutes by 60 again to convert seconds to hours. There are also 60 minutes in an hour, so we use the same process, dividing by 60, to determine how many seconds are in an hour.
- Example: How many hours is 7200 seconds?
- 7200 / 60 = 120 minutes.
- 120 / 60 = 2 hours
- Answer: 7200 seconds equals 2 hours.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I change 560 seconds into minutes?

Community Answer

Follow the directions. Divide 560 by 60 to get 9.33333... Subtract the whole number (9) so you're just left with the .33333... part. Multiply by that by 60 to get 20. Your answer is 9 minutes 20 seconds.
Question

Do I divide or multiply?

Community Answer

Multiply by 60 if you want to convert minutes to seconds and by 3600 if converting hours to seconds
Question

How can I find minutes from fractions?

Community Answer

If you mean fractions of an hour, you multiply by sixty then multiply by the fraction, e.g. 3/4 of an hour = 60 X3 then divide by 4 = 45 minutes.