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How to remove specific characters in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Text manipulationExcel & Google Sheets
=SUBSTITUTE(A2, "-", "")Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1A2 is the text to clean.
- 2"-" is the character to remove; "" replaces it with nothing.
- 3Nest calls to remove several: =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2, "-", ""), " ", "").
Tips
- For leading/trailing/double spaces specifically, TRIM is simpler than SUBSTITUTE.
- To remove invisible characters from pasted data, combine with CLEAN.
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Frequently asked
How do I remove more than one character?
Nest SUBSTITUTE — each layer removes one character: =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2, "-", ""), "/", "").
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