How to Use the LEFT Function in Excel (Extract Text from the Start)

How to Use the LEFT Function in Excel (Extract Text from the Start)

The LEFT() function in Excel extracts a specified number of characters from the start (left side) of a text string.

📘 Syntax:

=LEFT(text, num_chars)

✅ Example:

=LEFT("ScriptDataInsights", 6)

This returns "Script" — the first 6 characters from the string.

🎯 Use Cases:

• Extract prefixes like country codes or product IDs
• Clean up standardized text entries
• Trim unwanted characters from formatted values

💡 Pro Tip:

Combine with FIND() or SEARCH() when you want dynamic extractions from strings with patterns.

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