In Excel: use =LEFT(text, n) to take the first n characters, =RIGHT(text, n) to take the last n, and =MID(text, start, n) to take n characters beginning at a position — the three text-extraction functions.
Syntax
Arguments
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
text | required | The source text or cell to extract characters from. |
num_chars | required | How many characters to return; for MID this is the length of the slice. |
start_num | optional | MID only: the position of the first character to return (1 = the first character). |
Related functions
3 rows
| Ada Lovelace | London | 1815 |
| Grace Hopper | New York | 1906 |
| Alan Turing | London | 1912 |
What this does
LEFT, RIGHT and MID pull a slice of characters out of a longer string. LEFT takes characters from the start, RIGHT from the end, and MID takes a run of characters beginning at a position you give it. LEFT and RIGHT each need just the text and a count; MID needs the text, the starting position, and how many characters to take. Paired with FIND or SEARCH (which return the position of a character such as a space), they split first and last names dynamically without hard-coding lengths. 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 “right formula excel”. 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 text operation that turns messy entries into clean, usable data, but the practical win is that someone else can open the file and understand what happened without asking you.
A worked example
Take the product code "ABC123" in A2. =LEFT(A2, 3) returns "ABC", =RIGHT(A2, 3) returns "123", and =MID(A2, 4, 3) returns "123" by starting at the 4th character. To split a full name in B2 like "Maria Klein" at the space: =LEFT(B2, FIND(" ", B2) - 1) returns "Maria", and =MID(B2, FIND(" ", B2) + 1, 100) returns "Klein" — FIND locates the space so the formula works whatever the name length. LEFT, RIGHT and MID are the everyday tools for splitting codes, names and IDs into parts — area codes, file extensions, first and last names — especially when teamed with FIND or SEARCH for variable-length data. If there is any chance you will reuse this, drop it into a small template tab right now: a labelled input area on the left and the formula beside it, checked once against the tool above. Next time the same question comes up, the answer is a single paste away instead of a rebuild from memory.
In Google Sheets
If you are in Google Sheets rather than Excel, the good news is that the formula shown here is identical and the workflow barely changes — menus sit across the top instead of in a ribbon, and a few function names differ slightly, but anything you build here moves across with little or no rework. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. If you take one thing from this page on “right formula excel”, make it the habit rather than the keystrokes: set the problem up with labelled inputs, reference those cells, and let Excel do the recomputing. Bookmark the page for the syntax, but do the example once in a blank sheet and check it against the tool above — five minutes of hands-on practice fixes the method in memory far better than re-reading, and it surfaces the small snags while they are still harmless. After that the technique is genuinely yours: faster than searching for it again, and reliable enough to drop into work that other people depend on.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up
MIDarguments — the order is text, start_num, then num_chars, not text, length, start; the second number is where to begin. - Using a fixed number of characters for names or codes of varying length; combine with FIND or SEARCH so the count adapts to each cell.
- Counting
MIDpositions from 0 — the first character is position 1, so=MID(A2, 1, 3)takes the first three characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract text before a space or symbol?
Combine LEFT with FIND: =LEFT(A2, FIND(" ", A2) - 1) returns everything before the first space. Subtracting 1 stops the result just short of the space itself.
What is the difference between MID and LEFT or RIGHT?
LEFT and RIGHT always start at one end of the text, while MID starts at any position you specify. Use MID when the characters you want are in the middle, not at the start or end.
How do I get the last characters of a cell?
Use RIGHT with the count you need: =RIGHT(A2, 4) returns the final four characters. To take everything after a symbol, pair RIGHT with LEN and FIND to compute the remaining length.
Other ways people ask this
On the way here you may have searched this as “how to use right formula in excel” and “excel formula right” — it is all the same task, and this page is the single, complete answer to it.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “how to use right formula in excel”, “excel formula right” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.