Formula Library

LEFT

text

Extracts a specified number of characters from the left (beginning) of a text string.

Syntax

=LEFT(text, [num_chars])

Example

Excel
=LEFT(A2, 3)

Returns the first 3 characters from the text in A2.

Tips & Notes

  • →Combine with FIND to extract text before a delimiter
  • →Default num_chars is 1
  • →Use LEN to get total length first if needed

See Also

RIGHTMIDFIND

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