Buzz
LEFT() and LEFTB() functions are extensively used for string manipulation in Excel. They efficiently trim characters from the left side of text strings, providing a quick and effective solution.
Many of you might not be familiar with these string-cutting maestros. Follow this article for a description of syntax and usage of LEFT() and LEFTB() functions in Excel.
Description
LEFT() function is designed to extract the leftmost characters from a string and return one or more characters based on the specified character count.
LEFTB() function is used to extract the leftmost characters from a string and return one or more characters based on the specified byte count. LEFTB() counts 2 bytes for a character if the default language is one of the DBCS-supported languages (Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean). Otherwise, it behaves like LEFT(), counting 1 byte for each character.
Syntax
=LEFT(text, num_chars)
In this context:
- text: the text string from which you want to extract characters.
- num_chars: the number of characters you want the LEFT() function to extract.
- num_bytes: the number of bytes you want the LEFTB() function to extract.
Note
- If num_chars is omitted, the LEFT() function defaults to 1.
- num_chars must be greater than or equal to zero (positive integer).
- If num_chars exceeds the length of the text, the LEFT() function will return the entire text string.
Example
Extracting the first 8 characters from the string 'Mytour'
You can directly input the string into the function formula:
=LEFT('Mytour',8)
Alternatively, you can reference the cell containing the string:
=LEFT(B5,8)
Here is a straightforward example to guide you on applying the LEFT() and LEFTB() functions in Excel. Additionally, you can combine LEFT() and LEFTB() with other functions in Excel to achieve maximum efficiency. Wishing you success!
