by The tutorial shows how to use the LEFT function in Excel to get a substring from the beginning of the text string, extract text before a certain character, force a Left formula to return a number, and more.
Among many different functions that Microsoft Excel provides for manipulating text data, LEFT is one of the most widely used. As its name suggests, the function allows you to extract a certain number of characters starting at the left side of a text string. However, Excel LEFT is capable of much more than its pure essence. In this tutorial, you will find a couple of basic Left formulas to understand the syntax, and then I will show you a few ways in which you can take the Excel LEFT function well beyond its basic usage.
Excel LEFT function - syntax
The LEFT function in Excel returns the specified number of characters (substring) from the start of a string.
The syntax of the LEFT function is as follows:
Where:
- Text (required) is the text string from which you want to extract a substring. Usually it is supplied as a reference to the cell containing the text.
- Num_chars (optional) - the number of characters to extract, starting on the left side of the string.
- If num_chars is omitted, it defaults to 1, meaning that a Left formula will return 1 character.
- If num_chars is greater than the total length of text, a Left formula will return all of text.
For example, to extract the first 3 characters from the text in cell A2, use this formula:
=LEFT(A2, 3)
The following screenshot shows the result:
Important note! LEFT belongs to the category of Text functions, therefore the result of a Left formula is always a text string, even if the original value from which you extract characters is a number. If you are working with a numeric dataset and want the LEFT function to return a number, use it in conjunction with the VALUE function as demonstrated in this example.
How to use LEFT function in Excel - formula examples
Apart from extracting text from the left of a string, what else can the LEFT function do? The following examples show how you can use LEFT in combination with other Excel functions to solve more complex tasks.
How to extract a substring before a certain character
In some cases, you may need to extract the part of the text string that precedes a specific character. For example, you may want to pull the first names from a column of full names or get the country codes from a column of phone numbers. The problem is that each name and each code contains a different number of characters, and therefore you cannot simply supply a predefined number to the num_chars argument of your Left formula like we did in the above example.
If the first and last names are separated by a space, the problem boils down to working out the position of the space character in a string, which can be easily done by using either SEARCH or FIND function.
Supposing the full name is in cell A2, the position of the space is returned by this simple formula: SEARCH(" ",A2)). And now, you embed this formula in the num_chars argument of the LEFT function:
=LEFT(A2, SEARCH(" ", A2))
To improve the formula a bit further, get rid of the trailing space by subtracting 1 from the Search formula result (not visible in cells, trailing spaces may cause many problems especially if you plan to use the extracted names in other formulas):
=LEFT(A2, SEARCH(" ", A2)-1)
In the same fashion, you can extract the country codes from a column of telephone numbers. The only difference is that you use the Search function to find out the position of the first hyphen ("-") rather than a space:
=LEFT(A2, SEARCH("-", A2)-1)
Wrapping up, you can use this generic formula to get a substring that precedes any other character:
How to remove the last N characters from a string
You already know how to use the Excel LEFT function to get a substring from the start of a text string. But sometimes you may want to do something different - remove a certain number of characters from the end of the string and pull the rest of the string into another cell. For this, use the LEFT function in combination with LEN, like this:
The formula works with this logic: the LEN function gets the total number of characters in a string, then you subtract the number of unwanted characters from the total length, and have the LEFT function return the remaining characters.
For example, to remove the last 7 characters from text in A2, use this formula:
=LEFT(A2, LEN(A2)-7)
As shown in the screenshot below, the formula successfully cuts off the " - ToDo" postfix (4 letters, a hyphen and 2 spaces) from the text strings in column A.
How to force the LEFT function to return a number
As you already know, the Excel LEFT function always returns text, even when you are pulling a few first digits from a number. What it means to you is that you won't be able to use the results of your Left formulas in calculations or in other Excel functions that operate on numbers.
So, how do you make Excel LEFT to output a number rather than a text string? Simply by wrapping it in the VALUE function, which is designed to convert a string representing a number to a number, like this: VALUE(LEFT())
For example, to extract the first 2 characters from the string in A2 and convert the output into numbers, use this formula:
=VALUE(LEFT(A2,2))
The result will look something similar to this:
As you can see in the screenshot above, the numbers in column B obtained with a Value Left formula are right-alighted in cells, as opposed to left-aligned text in column A. Since Excel recognizes the output as numbers, you are free to sum and average those values, find the min and max value, and perform any other calculations.
These are just a few of many possible uses of LEFT in Excel. To have a closer look at the formulas discussed in this tutorial, you are welcome to download the Excel LEFT function sample worksheet.
For more Left formula examples, please check out the following resources:
Excel LEFT function not working - reasons and solutions
If the Excel LEFT function does not work properly in your worksheets, it's most likely because of one of the following reasons.
1. Num_chars argument is less than zero
If your Excel Left formula returns the #VALUE! error, the first thing for you to check is the value in the num_chars argument. If it's a negative number, just remove the minus sign and the error will be gone (of course, it's very unlikely that someone will put a negative number there of purpose, but to err is human :)
Most often, the VALUE error occurs when the num_chars argument is represented by another function. In this case, copy that function to another cell or select it in the formula bar and press F9 to see what it equates to. If the value is less than 0, then check the function for errors.
To better illustrate the point, let's take the Left formula we've used in the first example to extract the country phone codes: LEFT(A2, SEARCH("-", A2)-1). As you may remember, the Search function in the num_chars argument calculates the position of the first hyphen in the original string, from which we subtract 1 to remove the hyphen from the final result. If I accidentally replace -1, say, with -11, the formula would through the #VALUE error because the num_chars argument equates to a negative numbers:
2. Leading spaces in the original text
In case your Excel Left formula fails for no obvious reason, check the original values for leading spaces. If you have copied your data from the web or exported from another external source, many such spaces may lurk unnoticed before the text entries, and you will never know they are there until something goes wrong. The following image illustrates the problem:
To get rid of the leading spaces in your worksheets, use the Excel TRIM function or the Trim spaces tool.
3. Excel LEFT does not work with dates
If you attempt use the Excel LEFT function to get an individual part of a date (such as day, month or year), in most cases you will only retrieve the first few digits of the number that represents that date. The point is that in Microsoft Excel, all dates are stored as integers representing the number of days since January 1, 1900, which is stored as number 1 (for more information, please see Excel date format). What you see in a cell is just a visual representation of the date and its display can easily be changed by applying a different date format.
For example, if you have the date 11-Jan-2017 in cell A1 and you try to extract the day by using the formula LEFT(A1,2), the result would be 42, which is the first 2 digits of number 42746 that represents January 11, 2017 in the internal Excel system.
To extract a specific part of a date, use one of the following functions: DAY, MONTH or YEAR.
In case your dates are entered as text strings, the LEFT function will work without a hitch, as shown in the right part of the screenshot:
This is how you use the LEFT function in Excel. I thank you for reading and hope to see you again next week.
110 comments
I have a column with 2 or 3 text characters followed by numbers and want to extract the text only. Typically there will be 3 text characters, but occasionally only 2 text characters. I want to extract only the text from the string. so if I have MM10103, I want to get the value MM, but if I have XYZ10103 I want the value XYZ extracted. I have used LEFT(A1,3) and get MM1 in the first case, and XYZ in the second. How do I modify this to deliver correct 2 or 3 digit string of text only values?
Value Prefix
AC10103 AC
CCA0101 CCA
CCM0501 CCM
CYM0101 CYM
CYQ0010 CYQ
Thanks
Hello!
You can extract only letters without numbers using this formula:
=SUBSTITUTE((CONCAT(IF(NOT(ISNUMBER(--MID(A3,ROW($1:$94),1))),MID(A3,ROW($1:$94),1),"")))," ","")
You can also use regular expressions. See the article for instructions and examples: Regex to extract strings in Excel (one or all matches).
Hello, i'm trying to create a formula for these two columns to then be four... I can't seem to use the left/right formula as not all columns have a "," character. I know you can use text to column but want something automated
A Bucket_1 [100/-100]
Bucket_1 [100/-100]
Bucket_1,Bucket_2 [100/-100],[200/-200]
Bucket_2,Bucket_3 [200/-200],[400/-400]
Bucket_3 [400/-400]
B Bucket_1 [100/-100]
Bucket_1 [100/-100]
Bucket_1 Bucket_2 [100/-100] [200/-200]
Bucket_2 Bucket_3 [200/-200] [400/-400]
Bucket_3 [400/-400]
Hello!
You use space and comma as a separator. I don’t think you can divide your data into 4 columns using a formula. I recommend the Split Text tool, which can do this in a couple of clicks. It is available as a part of our Ultimate Suite for Excel that you can install in a trial mode and check how it works for free.
I got a spreadsheet column A full of codes similar to this one:
PC210LC-11|6ZZ10 - Fire Extinguisher 1.5Kg
PC210LC-11|715801 - Safety First Aid Kit
Want to separate the first bit (PC210LC-11|6ZZ10) from the text....
Someone in the past made the following formula but its attached to THIS spreadsheet and still cannot understand the formula
=LEFT([@[Sales Code]],SEARCH("|",[@[Sales Code]],1)-1)
Can someone please explain it? Whats the purpose of the @?
Thanks!
Hello!
Here is the article that may be helpful to you: Structured references in Excel tables.
Can anyone tell me how to add some digits before already filled digits in the cell.
For example;
Hira has ID 12004078. The data entered in the cell is 4078 now if i need to add 1200 to the whole column how can I add that with the formula?
Hi!
An Excel formula can only change the value in the cell in which it is written.
I recommend reading this guide: How to add text or character to every cell in Excel.
Kindly help me,
I want to find a formula for if the cell starts with some character, I want to return some text, if it starts with something else I want to return something else. Like this I want to apply this to multiple starts with values in cells. How to do it.
Hi!
To return the first character in a cell, use the LEFT function. To return some text depending on this character, use the IF function.
Hi, can you please let me know how do I combine LEFT function formula that would pick the 1st 3 characters of a word in the next column and add a preset 2 letters before then a sequential auto number after, the result = SI.ACC.0000 where ACC is picked up through the LEFT function & SI is always static at the beginning then the number is automatically generated.
I hope I've explained this well. Thank you
ASADIHXGJ-11053wNIeXuYGl9h354 >>>>>> XGJ
CABW-9647HabKVrAxDTYg205 >>>>>>>>> ABW
Can you please help me with this?
Hi there.
Thank you for the clear explanation on the left function. May I ask you to help me out on this one. If I want to omitted the company code in my data, in this case "A050" and just want the company name "AC Property Holidng Pty Ltd". Example as follow:
A050 - AC PROPERTY HOLDINGS PTY LTD
How could you still embedded with the left function in this exercise? Could someone assist me on this.
Thank you kindly.
Hello!
Use the MID function:
=MID(A2,SEARCH("-",A2,1)+2,50)
This should solve your task.
In sheet 1, I have two columns Named "WORD" (which contains one word in each cell), and "ABBRIV" (that contains the abbreviation of the "WORD" column), In sheet 2 there is a "String" column with a string of words, and a column for the formula.
This formula should compare the "WORD" with the "String" columns, and find the common word, and return the abbreviation equivalent to the "WORD" in the "ABBRIV". Thanks in advance
E F
400-100-230 - F11 [A] - ITEM 11 400-100-230 - F11 [A] - ITEM 11.pdf
400-100-230 400-100-230.pdf
In column F I have a directory listing of pdf files. In column E I have used LEFT function to remove the file extension. Now I want to use an IF function if there are less than 15 characters in column F, to return an empty cell in Column E. Can anyone help
I've tried using =IF(LEN(F14>20),LEFT(F19,LEN(F19)-4),0), but it just returns the same value in the cell as shown "400-100-230"
Hello!
Please try the following formula:
=IF(LEN(F14)>20,LEFT(F14,LEN(F14)-4),"")
This should solve your task.
I need to select all characters to the left of the second (or final dash ) '-'
AAA-B900-42 data
AAA-B900 desired result
The following is sort of working, but is leaving off the final one or two characters in each case:
=LEFT(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND("-",A2))
All suggestions appreciated..
Hello!
Please try the following formula:
=LEFT(A1,SEARCH("-",SUBSTITUTE(A1,"-","#",1))-1)
Hope this is what you need.
use this formula,
=LEFT(A1,FIND("-",A1,FIND("-",A1)+1)-1)
I want to get only text from cell expecting any formula to get it for large list..
Cell value >>> Result
ABC123qw1234ss >>> ABC
ABCDEF1234bbb>>ABCDEF
ABCD123 >>> ABCD
in above example only left text extracted from given cell I used LEFT(A2,3) for first it is not generalize every time I have to change length.
Any optimal solution will help
Hello!
To extract text up to the first digit, use the formula
=LEFT(A1,MIN(IFERROR(SEARCH({1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0},A1,1),10000))-1)
Hope this is what you need.
Hi Everyone!
Good Afternoon!
Please help me.
I want to create a formula in excel.
The formula must be If the cell contains "3037","3032","3092","3050", the answer must be the first 10 characters from the left of that cell.
Hello!
If I got you right, the formula below will help you with your task:
=IF(SUM(--(D1={3037,3032,3092,3050})) > 0, LEFT(INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW(),COLUMN()-1)),10),"")
I hope I answered your question. If something is still unclear, please feel free to ask.
Hello,
I have numbers begins with zeros on the left, when I use the LEFT function, excel ignores them and brings the digits after the zeros.
So how to make this function considers the zeros as numbers?
Thanks
Hello!
How to add leading zeros in Excel read in this article.
Hi guys,
I am really struggling with splitting a 12 character text in 4 in the same cell , can someone help me with a formula please.
ex: 1234567890AB in 123 456 789 0AB.
Thank you
Hello!
To insert a space after every third character, use the LEFT and MID functions:
=LEFT(A2,3)&" "&MID(A2,4,3)&" "&MID(A2,7,3)&" "&MID(A2,10,3)&" "&MID(A2,13,3)&" "&MID(A2,16,3)&" "&MID(A2,19,3)
I hope my advice will help you solve your task.
Hi there,
I want to use the left function to extract a month from some text. I have a 4 digit number like this: 0401 with 04 being the month. I want to return APR in the cell. I have tried to use =TEXT(LEFT(B1,2),"mmm") but get "Jan" back when I want "Apr". Is there a way to do this without doing 2 separate formulas?
Cheers.
Hello Folks,
I used the following formula from your website (thank you so much for handy tips):
=LEFT(B8, SEARCH("·",B8)-1)
What I used it for was to separate out characters prior to a "." in a word.
Example: an·rufen ; ein·laden ; fern·sehen ; schmecken ; schützen
Some words do not have this "."
I end up with the letters before the dot in my adjacent cell (fantastic) but if there is not "." then I end up with "#VALUE!" Is it possible to have the cell 'blank' if the "." is not there?
I realise that after it is all done and dusted I still have to copy and paste values. But this saves me a lot of work.
Is this possible?
Thank you kindly
Hi,
I take my blood pressure each day (Systolic/Diastolic), each time I take 3 readings to get the average and enter them separately into each cell:-
A1: 152/97
A2: 137/97
A3: 135/96
I would like to use Excel to automatically extract the Systolic (the three numbers before the "/") add them together and divide by 3, to get the average - result will be populated in cell A4.
The same with the Diastolic - take the two numbers after the "/" add together, divide by 3 and enter the results in A5.
I tried using Len, but can't work out how to use it with multipole cells - can anyone help?
Hello!
The first three digits can be extracted using the LEFT function.
=LEFT(A1,3)
The last two digits can be extracted using the RIGHT function.
=RIGHT(A1,2)
To convert from to a number, add a double minus before the formula:
=--LEFT(A1,3)
I hope it’ll be helpful.
I would like to separate the TB, GB, PB, MB, KB, etc. from cells in a column see below which contain a mask format (e.g. #,##0.0 "TB").
46.4 TB
5.9 TB
1.9 TB
423.8 GB
188.0 GB
188.0 GB
60.9 GB
60.2 GB
56.4 GB
37.5 GB
36.4 GB
1.1 GB
1.3 MB
1.3 MB
16.0 GB
16.0 GB
4.5 GB
4.0 GB
2.1 GB
1.3 GB
430.6 MB
191.3 MB
2.5 GB
1.7 GB
1.2 GB
617.5 MB
608.7 MB
571.3 MB
571.3 MB
180.7 MB
34.6 MB
3.8 MB
Just about everything I have tried fails. We are wanting to sort the rows (603,000 rows) by file size.
Hello!
If I understand your task correctly, to convert 1.9 TB, 423.8 GB to MB, you can use the formula LEFT and INDEX+MATCH:
=VALUE(SUBSTITUTE(H2,RIGHT(H2,2),"")) * INDEX({1,1024,1048576},MATCH(RIGHT(H2,2), {"MB","GB","TB"},0))
I hope this will help, otherwise please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.
I have the same question, but I want my results in 2 columns with number value and units.
Can I use the Left fx to split the invisible units to a new column?
Thank you.
Hi!
Your task is not completely clear to me. This formula converts all values to MB.
Hi,
I have almost 99 numbers in one cell & there is no space in those numbers & i want to segregate those numbers in 11 cells by distributing in 9 digit. Can anybody help me?
Thanks