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How to calculate the absolute difference between two values/times in Excel?

Author: Sun Last Modified: 2024-08-23

To calculate the difference between two values or times may be easy for most of Excel users, but have you tried to calculate the absolute difference between values as below screenshot shown? Here in this article, I introduce some tricks on quickly getting the ABS difference between values in Excel.
calculate the absolute difference

Calculate absolute differences with formula

Calculate absolute differences with Kutools for Excelgood idea3

Calculate absolute differences with formula

To calculate the absolute differences, you just need one of below formulas, paste one of below formulas to the blank cell you want to place the result, press Enter key, and drag fill handle over cells needed this formula.

=ABS(A2-B2)

=IF(B2>=A2,B2-A2,A2-B2)
Calculate absolute differences with formula

Note: if you want to calculate the absolute difference between times, you only can apply =ABS(A2-B2) and then format values as time. See screenshot:
format values as time if calculate the absolute difference between times

Calculate absolute differences with Kutools for Excel

If you have Kutools for Excel installed, its Change Sign of Values utility also can quickly calculate the absolute differences between two numbers.

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After installing Kutools for Excel, please do as below:

1. Select a cell that you want to place the differences, type =F2-G2, and drag fill handle down to fill this formula to the cells.
enter a simple formula to get the normal difference of two numbers

2. Click Kutools > Content > Change Sign of Values, in the Change Sign of Values dialog, check Change all negative values to positive option. See screenshot:
click Change Sign of Values feature and set options in the dialog box

3. Click Ok or Apply, and a dialog pops out to remind you some information, click Yes to continue. See screenshot:
a dialog pops out to remind some information

Now all negative differences have been converted to absolute.
all negative differences have been converted to absolute

Sum absolute value in Excel
If there are two list of values mixed with negative and positive numbers, now you want to get the absolute sum of two list in the same row, how can you quickly solve? The Sum absolute values utility in Kutools for Excel can do you a favor without remember formula. . Click for full-featured 30 days free trial!
doc sum abs
 
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