Excel + Google Sheets · LEFT

Take the first characters of any text

Returns the first N characters of a text.

The formula

=LEFT(A2, 2)

What each part means

A2The text
2How many characters

Example

Before

	A	B
1	Order code	Country
2	ES-1043
3	BR-2210
4	IN-0087
5	MX-5521

After

	A	B
1	Order code	Country
2	ES-1043	ES
3	BR-2210	BR
4	IN-0087	IN
5	MX-5521	MX

Step by step

Click cell B2.
Type the formula: =LEFT(A2, 2)
Press Enter.
Drag the small square in the bottom-right corner of the cell down to copy it to the other rows.

Where it works

Every version of Excel
Google Sheets
Excel for the web (free)

The same formula in other languages

English LEFT
Español IZQUIERDA
Português ESQUERDA

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