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LEFT – Excel Function | Blake Ekelund
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LEFT
LEFT
Extract a specific number of characters from the start of a text string.
Beginner
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Syntax
=LEFT(text, [num_chars])
Example Use Cases
Extracting department codes from employee IDs
Pulling product prefixes from SKU numbers
Grabbing the first two letters of a postal code
Common Issues
Using LEFT on numbers without converting them to text first
Forgetting that LEFT is case-sensitive when combined with comparisons
Getting a #VALUE! error when num_chars is negative or non-numeric
Pro Tips
Use LEFT with FIND to dynamically extract text before a specific character
Wrap numbers with TEXT() before using LEFT to avoid conversion issues
Combine LEFT with TRIM to clean messy imports before extracting data
Related Functions in TEXT & FORMATTING
Beginner Functions
Function
Use Case
Syntax
LEN
Count the number of characters in a text string.
=LEN(text)
CLEAN
Remove non-printable characters from imported or messy text.
=CLEAN(text)
Intermediate Functions
Function
Use Case
Syntax
TEXT
Format numbers, dates, or times as text using custom formatting.
=TEXT(value, format_text)
FIND
Locate the position of a character or substring in text.
=FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])