The LEFT RIGHT function is compatible with all versions of Excel right the way back to 2007.
About LEFT and RIGHT functions
The LEFT and RIGHT functions let you extract a number of letters from a string of text, starting from the left most character or right most character respectively.
LEFT and RIGHT are Worksheet functions that you can enter as part of a formula in a cell of a worksheet.
Syntax for LEFT and RIGHT
=LEFT(text, number_of_characters)
=RIGHT(text, number_of_characters)
Parameters
text: The word or cell reference you want to process
number_of_characters: This is optional, allowing you to specify the number of characters you wish to extract. If this parameter is omitted, the function will stop on the first or last letter (for LEFT or RIGHT respectively).
Example LEFT function
This function will start at the leftmost side of the sentence provided and move right by the number_of_characters provided.
| Sentence | Formula | Result |
| Simply select what sidebar | =LEFT(B2,5) | Simpl |
| Simply select what sidebar | =LEFT(B3) | S |
Example RIGHT function
This function will start at the rightmost side of the sentence provided and move left by the number_of_characters provided.
| Sentence | Formula | Result |
| Simply select what sidebar | =RIGHT(B2,5) | debar |
| Simply select what sidebar | =RIGHT(B3) | r |
LEFT RIGHT functions Spreadsheet
See below for a live spreadsheet using Office on the web. You can double click on the cells to see the formula.
If you’d like to keep a handy reference then you can download the left right function spreadsheet here.