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How to extract text from a string in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Text manipulationExcel & Google Sheets
=MID(A2,FIND("[",A2)+1,FIND("]",A2)-FIND("[",A2)-1)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Raw Text | Extracted |
| Code [ABC] here | |
| Tag [XYZ] end | |
| ID [123] ok | |
| Ref [QQQ] x | |
| Val [ZZZ] done |
=MID(A2,FIND("[",A2)+1,FIND("]",A2)-FIND("[",A2)-1)→ABC
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Step by step
- 1For the first N characters use =LEFT(A2,N) — e.g. =LEFT(A2,3) returns the first 3 characters.
- 2For the last N characters use =RIGHT(A2,N).
- 3For text starting at position P with length L use =MID(A2,P,L).
- 4To extract text between two known markers (e.g. brackets), combine MID and FIND: =MID(A2,FIND("[",A2)+1,FIND("]",A2)-FIND("[",A2)-1).
Tips
- In Google Sheets, =REGEXEXTRACT(A2,"\[(.+?)\]") is a shorter way to grab text inside square brackets.
Need it for your exact data?
Describe your columns in plain English and get the precise formula for your sheet, with the right Excel or Sheets syntax.
Frequently asked
Is MID the same in Excel and Google Sheets?
Yes — the syntax MID(text,start_num,num_chars) is identical in both applications.
What if the start marker appears multiple times?
Use FIND's third argument (start_position) to find the second occurrence: FIND("[",A2,FIND("[",A2)+1).
More on Text manipulation
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Clean leading, trailing, and double spaces with TRIM — the usual fix for lookups that fail on values that look identical.
How-toHow to convert text to a number
Turn numbers stored as text into real numbers with VALUE or by multiplying by 1 — the fix for sums that ignore values.
How-toHow to extract the domain from an email address
Pull everything after the @ from an email using FIND and MID. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to extract the first name from a full name
Get the first name from a full name with LEFT and FIND, splitting on the first space. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to add leading zeros
Pad numbers to a fixed width with leading zeros using TEXT, or a custom number format. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.