Excel Function
LEFT Function in Excel
Learn how to use the LEFT function in Excel, understand the syntax and common use cases, and let ExcelGPT adapt the formula to your real workbook structure.
Syntax
LEFT(text, [num_chars])Arguments
What each part of the formula does.
textRequiredThe text string to extract characters from.
num_charsOptionalOptional number of characters to return, defaulting to 1.
Examples
Extract a region prefix
=LEFT(A2, 3)Returns the first three characters from the text in A2.
Return the first letter only
=LEFT(B2)Returns the first character because num_chars is omitted.
Common mistakes
Check the argument order, data types, and references used in LEFT.
Review whether ranges, blank cells, error values, or dynamic results are affecting the formula.
Validate the formula on a few sample rows before scaling it across the workbook.
Related functions
RIGHT
Learn how to use the RIGHT function in Excel, understand the syntax and common use cases, and let ExcelGPT adapt the formula to your real workbook structure.
CONCAT
Learn how to use the CONCAT function in Excel, understand the syntax and common use cases, and let ExcelGPT adapt the formula to your real workbook structure.
TEXTJOIN
Learn how to use the TEXTJOIN function in Excel, understand the syntax and common use cases, and let ExcelGPT adapt the formula to your real workbook structure.
Need a variant of this formula?
Describe your workbook structure and ExcelGPT can generate a version tailored to your real columns, ranges, and edge cases.