LEFT & RIGHT Functions
Extract characters from the beginning or end of text
LEFT & RIGHT Functions
Ever need to grab just the first few letters or last few letters from text? That's exactly what LEFT and RIGHT do!
What Do They Do?
Think of text like a line of people:
- LEFT = Take people from the front of the line
- RIGHT = Take people from the back of the line
Instead of people, we take characters (letters, numbers, spaces).
LEFT Function
The Formula
=LEFT(text, num_chars)
- text = The cell with your text
- num_chars = How many characters to grab from the start
Simple Example
You have "HELLO" in cell A1.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| HELLO | =LEFT(A1, 2) |
| HE |
=LEFT(A1, 2) grabs the first 2 characters = HE
More LEFT Examples
| Text in A1 | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| HELLO | =LEFT(A1, 1) | H |
| HELLO | =LEFT(A1, 3) | HEL |
| HELLO | =LEFT(A1, 5) | HELLO |
| Apple | =LEFT(A1, 2) | Ap |
| 12345 | =LEFT(A1, 3) | 123 |
RIGHT Function
The Formula
=RIGHT(text, num_chars)
Same as LEFT, but grabs from the end instead!
Simple Example
You have "HELLO" in cell A1.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| HELLO | =RIGHT(A1, 2) |
| LO |
=RIGHT(A1, 2) grabs the last 2 characters = LO
More RIGHT Examples
| Text in A1 | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| HELLO | =RIGHT(A1, 1) | O |
| HELLO | =RIGHT(A1, 3) | LLO |
| Apple | =RIGHT(A1, 3) | ple |
| 12345 | =RIGHT(A1, 2) | 45 |
| test@email.com | =RIGHT(A1, 4) | .com |
Real Life Examples
Get Area Code from Phone Number
| Phone Number | Formula | Area Code |
|---|---|---|
| 9876543210 | =LEFT(A1, 3) | 987 |
| 0123456789 | =LEFT(A1, 4) | 0123 |
Get File Extension
| File Name | Formula | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| report.pdf | =RIGHT(A1, 3) | |
| photo.jpg | =RIGHT(A1, 3) | jpg |
| data.xlsx | =RIGHT(A1, 4) | xlsx |
Get First Name Initial
| Full Name | Formula | Initial |
|---|---|---|
| John Smith | =LEFT(A1, 1) | J |
| Mary Jane | =LEFT(A1, 1) | M |
Quick Comparison
| Function | Takes From | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEFT | Beginning | =LEFT("HELLO", 2) | HE |
| RIGHT | End | =RIGHT("HELLO", 2) | LO |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Forgetting the second number
❌ =LEFT(A1) - Only gives you 1 character
✅ =LEFT(A1, 3) - Gives you 3 characters
Mistake 2: Asking for more characters than exist
If A1 = "Hi" (only 2 characters)
=LEFT(A1, 10) = "Hi" (Excel just gives you all of it, no error!)
Summary
- LEFT(text, num) = Get first characters
- RIGHT(text, num) = Get last characters
- Great for phone numbers, file names, codes
- Excel won't error if you ask for too many characters
