The women's 400 metres event at the 1980 European Athletics Indoor Championships was held on 1 and 2 March in Sindelfingen.
Medalists
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Elke Decker West Germany |
Karoline Käfer Austria |
Tatyana Goyshchik Soviet Union |
Results
Heats
First 2 from each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Elke Decker | West Germany | 52.76 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Tatyana Goyshchik | Soviet Union | 53.23 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Ilona Pál | Hungary | 53.26 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Rositsa Stamenova | Bulgaria | 53.45 | q |
| 5 | 3 | Rosine Wallez | Belgium | 53.49 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Karoline Käfer | Austria | 54.13 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | Marie-Christine Champenois | France | 54.30 | q |
| 8 | 1 | Svobodka Damyanova | Bulgaria | 54.33 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Tilly Verhoef | Netherlands | 54.48 | NR |
| 10 | 2 | Mona Evjen | Norway | 55.58 |
Semifinals
First 2 from each semifinal qualified directly (Q) for the final.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Elke Decker | West Germany | 52.30 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Tatyana Goyshchik | Soviet Union | 53.19 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Karoline Käfer | Austria | 53.31 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Rositsa Stamenova | Bulgaria | 53.37 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Svobodka Damyanova | Bulgaria | 53.52 | |
| 6 | 1 | Rosine Wallez | Belgium | 53.70 | |
| 7 | 2 | Ilona Pál | Hungary | 53.74 | |
| 8 | 1 | Marie-Christine Champenois | France | 54.00 |
Final
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elke Decker | West Germany | 52.28 | ||
| Karoline Käfer | Austria | 52.70 | ||
| Tatyana Goyshchik | Soviet Union | 52.71 | ||
| 4 | Rositsa Stamenova | Bulgaria | 53.06 |