WRONG RESULTWrong result
Check that every range starts and ends on the same rows, and that numbers are stored as numbers.
TEXT · GOOGLE SHEETS
Verified by JosephineReviewed July 25, 2026✓
LEFT / RIGHT / MID
extract characters from the start, end or middle of text.
Use LEFT / RIGHT / MID to extract a prefix from an invoice number. This guide shows the exact structure, a working example and the mistakes most likely to break it.
Verified by JosephineReviewed July 25, 2026✓THE FORMULA
=LEFT(string, [number_of_characters])A
stringsource text
B
number_of_charactersamount to return
TRY IT YOURSELFChange the sheet.
Change the sheet.
Watch the answer update.
Edit any highlighted cell below. The example recalculates immediately.
| A · TEXT | |
|---|---|
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 |
RESULT
INVUpdates liveTry changing a value above. This example runs entirely in your browser.
IN PLAIN ENGLISHHow the formula
How the formula
thinks.
- 01
stringsource text
- 02
number_of_charactersamount to return
COMMON FIXESWhen LEFT / RIGHT / MID
When LEFT / RIGHT / MID
doesn’t behave.
FORMULA PARSE ERRORFormula parse error
Check commas, quotation marks and closing parentheses. Your locale may use semicolons instead of commas.
UNEXPECTED BLANKSUnexpected blanks
Test the source cells for hidden spaces, empty strings and inconsistent data types.