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Text function

Excel LEFT function

LEFT returns the first few characters of a text value. Use it to grab a prefix from a product code, the area code from a phone number, or a first name when combined with FIND.

=LEFT(text, [num_chars])

Arguments

text
The text or cell to take characters from.
num_chars
How many characters to return. Leave it out to get just the first one.

LEFT examples

Every result below was calculated from this sample sheet by the same spreadsheet engine the Cellwise app uses.

ABC
1Product codePhoneFull name
2HW-4471-BLK415-555-0132Grace Hopper
3SW-1029-PRO212-555-0198Alan Turing
4AC-3310-WHT312-555-0144Ada Lovelace
  1. =LEFT(A2,2)

    Result: HW

    Takes the first two characters: the category prefix "HW".

  2. =LEFT(B3,3)

    Result: 212

    Pulls the area code from the start of the phone number.

  3. =LEFT(C2,FIND(" ",C2)-1)

    Result: Grace

    FIND locates the space, so LEFT returns everything before it: the first name.

  4. =LEFT(A4)

    Result: A

    With no count, LEFT returns just the first character.

How to use LEFT

  1. Click the cell for the result.
  2. Type =LEFT( and select the text cell.
  3. Add a comma and the number of characters you want.
  4. Close the bracket and copy it down.

Common LEFT mistakes

Expecting a number back

LEFT always returns text. Wrap it in VALUE, or use --LEFT(A2,3), to do math with the result.

Hard-coding a length for variable text

First names have different lengths. Use FIND to work out how many characters to take.

Leading spaces throw off the count

Clean the text with TRIM first: LEFT(TRIM(A2),3).

LEFT FAQ

How do I extract the first word in Excel?

Use =LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1). FIND gives the position of the first space, and LEFT takes everything before it.

How do I remove the first character in Excel?

LEFT keeps characters, so use RIGHT or MID instead: =RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-1) drops the first character.

Why does LEFT on a date return a strange number?

Dates are stored as serial numbers, so LEFT sees something like 45321. Use TEXT(A2,"yyyy") or YEAR(A2) instead.

Practice LEFT in these lessons

Guides that use LEFT

Related functions

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