Excel Code Function

What this does

CHAR turns a number into the character it represents and CODE does the reverse. They matter for two everyday jobs. Inserting a line break inside a formula-built string requires CHAR(10) on Windows, since you cannot type Alt+Enter inside a formula — and the cell must have Wrap Text switched on or the break stays invisible. And diagnosing invisible characters requires CODE: pointing it at the first character of a stubborn value tells you exactly what is there, which is usually 160 (non-breaking space) or 10 (line feed). Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. The difference between a quick fix and a sheet you can trust is the extra minute you spend validating “excel code function”. Start on a copy or a tiny sample, keep the affected formula visible, and compare the result with the tool above before you touch the real workbook. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. The point is a calculation you can defend to a CFO or an auditor, but the practical win is that someone else can open the file and understand what happened without asking you.

A worked example

Building a multi-line address in one cell: =A2 & CHAR(10) & B2 & CHAR(10) & C2, with Wrap Text enabled on the cell. Diagnosing a value that will not match: =CODE(LEFT(A2,1)) returning 160 identifies a non-breaking space. Removing it once identified: =SUBSTITUTE(A2, CHAR(160), " "). CHAR(10) is the only way to build a multi-line cell from a formula, and CODE is the only way to identify what invisible character is breaking a match. A practical tip before you scale it up: build it once on a small block of test data, confirm the number against the tool on this page, and only then point it at your real sheet. That one habit catches almost every mistake while it is still cheap to fix, long before a wrong figure reaches a report or a colleague.

In Google Sheets

Everything above works in Google Sheets too. Excel and Sheets share the formula syntax used here; only the surrounding menus are arranged differently. That portability is deliberate — learn it once and it follows you between the two tools and across Windows and Mac. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, repeat the steps once in your own workbook — doing it yourself is what turns a copied answer into something you remember. Treat “excel code function” as a small building block rather than a chore. Once the inputs sit in their own cells and the formula reads from them, the same setup answers a dozen related questions with a tweak, and Excel keeps every dependent figure current as the data changes. The tool above is there so you can rehearse and verify before committing anything to a real workbook; the steps and worked example are there so the logic sticks. Get it right once and it stops costing you time — it starts saving it, every time the question comes back around.

Common mistakes

• Using CHAR(10) without enabling Wrap Text, which makes the line break invisible and looks like the formula failed.
• Using CHAR(10) on a Mac where CHAR(13) is expected in some contexts; test which one your file needs.
• Passing 0 or a number above 255 to CHAR, which returns #VALUE!.

Frequently asked questions