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How to extract a file extension from a filename in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Text manipulationExcel & Google Sheets
=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND("*",SUBSTITUTE(A2,".","*",LEN(A2)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2,".","")))))✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Filename |
| report.xlsx |
| image.final.png |
| data.csv |
| archive.tar.gz |
=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND("*",SUBSTITUTE(A2,".","*",LEN(A2)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2,".","")))))→xlsx
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Step by step
- 1Count the number of periods in the filename: LEN(A2)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2,".","")).
- 2Use SUBSTITUTE to replace only the last period with a unique marker (*): SUBSTITUTE(A2,".","*",count_of_periods).
- 3Use FIND to locate the * marker and determine the position of the last period.
- 4Extract everything after it with RIGHT: =RIGHT(A2, LEN(A2)-position_of_last_period).
- 5Combined: =RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND("*",SUBSTITUTE(A2,".","*",LEN(A2)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2,".",""))))).
Tips
- To include the dot in the result, subtract one less: LEN(A2)-FIND(...)+1. To exclude it (just 'xlsx' not '.xlsx'), use the formula as written above.
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Frequently asked
What if the filename has no extension?
FIND will error because there's no period. Wrap in IFERROR(…,"") to return an empty string for extensionless files.
What about double extensions like .tar.gz?
The formula returns 'gz' (after the last dot). If you need 'tar.gz', adjust the SUBSTITUTE count to target the second-to-last period.
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