diff --git a/mathesar_ui/src/utils/duration/DurationFormatter.ts b/mathesar_ui/src/utils/duration/DurationFormatter.ts
index 0a08df3917..d5593742f8 100644
--- a/mathesar_ui/src/utils/duration/DurationFormatter.ts
+++ b/mathesar_ui/src/utils/duration/DurationFormatter.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,55 @@ import type {
 import type DurationSpecification from './DurationSpecification';
 
 const FLOAT_REGEX = /^((\.?\d+)|(\d+(\.\d+)?))$/;
+function createDurationISO(
+  unitWithValue: Partial<Record<DurationUnit, number>>,
+): string {
+  return dayjs
+    .duration({
+      years: 0,
+      months: 0,
+      days: unitWithValue.d ?? 0,
+      hours: unitWithValue.h ?? 0,
+      minutes: unitWithValue.m ?? 0,
+      seconds: unitWithValue.s ?? 0,
+      milliseconds: unitWithValue.ms ?? 0,
+    })
+    .toISOString();
+}
+function parseTextBasedDuration(userInput: string): string | null {
+  const cleanedInput = userInput.trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (cleanedInput === '') {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const durationPattern = /(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)\s*(ms|[dhms])/g;
+  const matches = Array.from(cleanedInput.matchAll(durationPattern));
+
+  if (matches.length === 0) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const matchedText = matches.map((m) => m[0]).join('');
+  const inputWithoutSpaces = cleanedInput.replace(/\s+/g, '');
+  if (matchedText.replace(/\s+/g, '') !== inputWithoutSpaces) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const unitWithValue: Partial<Record<DurationUnit, number>> = {};
+
+  for (const match of matches) {
+    const value = parseFloat(match[1]);
+    const unit = match[2] as DurationUnit;
+
+    if (Number.isNaN(value)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    unitWithValue[unit] = (unitWithValue[unit] ?? 0) + value;
+  }
+
+  return createDurationISO(unitWithValue);
+}
 
 function parseRawDurationStringToISOString(
   specification: DurationSpecification,
@@ -20,27 +69,19 @@ function parseRawDurationStringToISOString(
     unitsInRange = unitsInRange.slice(0, unitsInRange.length - 1);
   }
 
-  let cleanedInput = userInput.trim();
+  const cleanedInput = userInput.trim();
   if (cleanedInput === '') {
     return null;
   }
 
-  const firstEntry = cleanedInput[0];
-  if (firstEntry === ':') {
-    cleanedInput = `0${cleanedInput}`;
-  }
+  const normalized = cleanedInput.replace(/^:/, '0:').replace(/[:.]$/, '$&0');
 
-  const lastEntry = cleanedInput[cleanedInput.length - 1];
-  if (lastEntry === ':' || lastEntry === '.') {
-    cleanedInput = `${cleanedInput}0`;
-  }
-
-  const unitValues = cleanedInput.split(':');
+  const unitValues = normalized.split(':');
   if (unitValues.length > unitsInRange.length) {
     throw new Error('Duration exceeds specified unit range');
   }
 
-  const terms = cleanedInput
+  const terms = normalized
     .split(':')
     .map((entry) => {
       let valueString = entry;
@@ -69,16 +110,7 @@ function parseRawDurationStringToISOString(
     unitWithValue[unit] = terms[index] ?? 0;
   });
 
-  return dayjs
-    .duration({
-      years: 0,
-      months: 0,
-      days: unitWithValue.d ?? 0,
-      hours: unitWithValue.h ?? 0,
-      minutes: unitWithValue.m ?? 0,
-      seconds: unitWithValue.s ?? 0,
-    })
-    .toISOString();
+  return createDurationISO(unitWithValue);
 }
 
 const unitConfig: Record<
@@ -119,9 +151,12 @@ function shiftAndFormatISODurationString(
   canonicalValue: string,
   specification: DurationSpecification,
 ): string {
-  const unitsWithValues: Partial<Record<DurationUnitType, number>> = {};
   const duration = dayjs.duration(canonicalValue);
 
+  if (!duration || Number.isNaN(duration.asMilliseconds())) {
+    return '00:00';
+  }
+
   const units = specification.getUnitsInRange().reverse();
 
   if (units.length === 0) {
@@ -132,6 +167,12 @@ function shiftAndFormatISODurationString(
   let currentUnitConfig = unitConfig[units[0]];
   let currentUnitValue = currentUnitConfig.convert(duration);
 
+  if (Number.isNaN(currentUnitValue)) {
+    return '00:00';
+  }
+
+  const unitsWithValues: Partial<Record<DurationUnit, number>> = {};
+
   for (const unit of units) {
     const higherUnit = specification.getHigherUnit(unit);
     let higherUnitValue = 0;
@@ -146,18 +187,39 @@ function shiftAndFormatISODurationString(
         dayjs.duration(higherUnitValue, higherUnitConfig.unitName),
       );
     }
-    unitsWithValues[currentUnitConfig.unitName] = parseFloat(
+    const finalValue = parseFloat(
       currentUnitValue.toFixed(currentUnitConfig.decimalCorrection ?? 3),
     );
+    unitsWithValues[unit] = finalValue;
     if (higherUnit) {
       currentUnitValue = higherUnitValue;
       currentUnitConfig = unitConfig[higherUnit];
     }
   }
 
-  return dayjs
-    .duration(unitsWithValues)
-    .format(specification.getFormattingString());
+  // Manually format the duration string based on the specification
+  const unitsInRange = specification.getUnitsInRange();
+
+  // Build the formatted string
+  const formatUnit = (unit: DurationUnit, value: number): string => {
+    const floorValue = Math.floor(value).toString();
+    if (unit === 'd') return floorValue;
+    return unit === 'ms'
+      ? floorValue.padStart(3, '0')
+      : floorValue.padStart(2, '0');
+  };
+
+  const parts = unitsInRange.map((unit) =>
+    formatUnit(unit, unitsWithValues[unit] ?? 0),
+  );
+
+  // Join with : or . depending on milliseconds
+  if (unitsInRange[unitsInRange.length - 1] === 'ms' && parts.length > 1) {
+    const msValue = parts.pop();
+    return `${parts.join(':')}.${msValue ?? '000'}`;
+  }
+
+  return parts.join(':');
 }
 
 export default class DurationFormatter implements InputFormatter<string> {
@@ -168,6 +230,15 @@ export default class DurationFormatter implements InputFormatter<string> {
   }
 
   parse(userInput: string): ParseResult<string> {
+    const textBasedValue = parseTextBasedDuration(userInput);
+
+    if (textBasedValue !== null) {
+      return {
+        value: textBasedValue,
+        intermediateDisplay: userInput,
+      };
+    }
+
     const value = parseRawDurationStringToISOString(
       this.specification,
       userInput,
@@ -178,7 +249,50 @@ export default class DurationFormatter implements InputFormatter<string> {
     };
   }
 
+  private buildISOString(
+    days: number,
+    hours: number,
+    minutes: number,
+    seconds: number,
+  ): string {
+    const dayPart = days > 0 ? `${days}D` : '';
+    const hourPart = hours > 0 ? `${hours}H` : '';
+    const minutePart = minutes > 0 ? `${minutes}M` : '';
+    const secondPart = seconds > 0 ? `${seconds}S` : '';
+
+    const timePart = hourPart + minutePart + secondPart;
+
+    if (!dayPart && !timePart) {
+      return 'PT0S';
+    }
+
+    return `P${dayPart}T${timePart}`;
+  }
+
   format(canonicalValue: string): string {
-    return shiftAndFormatISODurationString(canonicalValue, this.specification);
+    const daysMatch = canonicalValue.match(
+      /^(\d+) days? (\d+):(\d+):(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)$/,
+    );
+    const timeMatch = canonicalValue.match(/^(\d+):(\d+):(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)$/);
+
+    let isoString = canonicalValue;
+
+    if (daysMatch) {
+      isoString = this.buildISOString(
+        parseInt(daysMatch[1], 10),
+        parseInt(daysMatch[2], 10),
+        parseInt(daysMatch[3], 10),
+        parseFloat(daysMatch[4]),
+      );
+    } else if (timeMatch) {
+      isoString = this.buildISOString(
+        0,
+        parseInt(timeMatch[1], 10),
+        parseInt(timeMatch[2], 10),
+        parseFloat(timeMatch[3]),
+      );
+    }
+
+    return shiftAndFormatISODurationString(isoString, this.specification);
   }
 }