How to Use the LEFT Function in Excel (Extract Characters from the Beginning)

How to Use the LEFT Function in Excel (Extract Characters from the Beginning)

The LEFT() function helps you extract a specific number of characters from the beginning (left side) of a text string. It's useful for cleaning and formatting text data in Excel.

📘 Syntax:

=LEFT(text, num_chars)

✅ Example:

=LEFT("ScriptDataInsights", 6)

This returns "Script" — the first 6 characters of the text string.

🎯 Use Cases:

• Extract first names from full names
• Trim prefixes or codes
• Use with FIND or SEARCH to dynamically extract text

💡 Tip:

Combine with FIND() to locate space and extract the first word dynamically.

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