How to Convert Microsoft Forms Response Time to Local Time in WPS Office Excel
Question details
Convert Microsoft Forms response timestamps from GMT/UTC to local time in an Excel workbook.
- Product
- WPS Office Spreadsheets (Excel)
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Power Automate writes Microsoft Forms response timestamps to an Excel table in GMT/UTC, and the user needs the reported time in their own local time zone.
- Observed behavior
- The Microsoft Forms timestamp appears correct in Forms, but in the Excel table the value is still in Greenwich Mean Time and requires a conversion.
Check your time zone's offset from UTC/GMT and whether daylight saving time is currently in effect. Open the exported workbook in WPS Office and locate the timestamp column before creating a helper column.
Add a Calculated Column in WPS Office Excel to Convert the Timestamp
Best for viewing the converted time immediately in the workbook without changing the original imported data.
Use a helper column with an Excel formula to add your local UTC offset to the imported timestamp. This is non-destructive and works in WPS Office Spreadsheets just as it does in Microsoft Excel.
Launch WPS Office Spreadsheets, click the Menu button, choose Open, and select the Excel file that contains the Microsoft Forms responses.
Click a blank cell in the column next to the first timestamp, for example C3, so the original timestamp remains unchanged.
Type =B3+TIME(7,0,0) and press Enter. Replace 7 with your local UTC offset, such as 8 for UTC+8 or 9 for UTC+9.
Select the formula cell, drag the fill handle downward over the remaining timestamp rows, and verify that each row now shows the local time.
Convert the Timestamp in Power Automate Before It Reaches Excel
Use this when you want the Excel table to receive the correct local time automatically and avoid manual formula maintenance.
Convert Microsoft Forms Timestamps to Local Time in WPS Office
Open your exported Excel workbook in WPS Office, add a calculated column using =B3+TIME(offset,0,0), and adjust for daylight saving time as needed. WPS Office Spreadsheets supports the same Excel formulas and .xlsx files, so the conversion can be done without a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- 1. Open the exported workbook: Open WPS Office Spreadsheets and load the Excel file containing the Microsoft Forms responses.
- 2. Insert a helper column: Click a blank cell next to the first timestamp, such as C3, to create a calculated column.
- 3. Enter the local time formula: Type =B3+TIME(7,0,0) and press Enter. Replace 7 with your local UTC offset.
- 4. Apply the formula to all rows: Drag the fill handle downward to copy the formula to the remaining timestamp rows.
- 5. Verify and adjust for daylight saving time: Check the converted times and update the offset if your region observes daylight saving time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Microsoft Forms export timestamps as GMT instead of my local time?
Power Automate receives Microsoft Forms responses in UTC. When the flow writes the response to Excel, it keeps that UTC/GMT value unless you convert it manually or with a Power Automate expression.
What Excel formula can I use to convert a GMT timestamp to local time?
Use a formula like =B3+TIME(7,0,0) in a helper column. Replace 7 with your UTC offset; for zones behind UTC, use a negative offset by entering something like =B3-TIME(5,0,0).
How do I account for daylight saving time in the conversion?
Update the numeric offset when DST starts or ends, or use Power Automate's convertTimeZone function with a named time zone such as 'Eastern Standard Time', which handles DST automatically.
Can WPS Office Spreadsheets convert Microsoft Forms timestamps in an .xlsx file?
Yes. WPS Office Spreadsheets supports the same date/time formulas and .xlsx format used by Microsoft Excel, so you can create the helper column and apply the formula directly.
How do I make Power Automate write the local time to Excel automatically?
Edit the Excel insert row action in Power Automate, select the timestamp field, and replace the value with a convertTimeZone expression that maps the UTC submission time to your target time zone, then save and test the flow.
