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How to split text into columns in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Text manipulationExcel & Google Sheets
=LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Full Name | First | Last |
| Alice Smith | ||
| Bob Jones | ||
| Carol White | ||
| Dan Brown | ||
| Eve Black |
=LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1)→Alice
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Step by step
- 1To extract the part before the delimiter (e.g. a space), use =LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1) in column B.
- 2To extract the part after the delimiter, use =MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1,LEN(A2)) in column C.
- 3If the delimiter is a comma followed by a space, replace " " with ", " in both formulas.
- 4For three segments (e.g. First Middle Last), nest two FIND calls: find the first space for segment 1, find the second space using FIND(" ",A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1) for segments 2 and 3.
Tips
- Use IFERROR around each formula to handle cells that contain no delimiter gracefully.
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 there a simpler approach in Excel 365?
Yes — use TEXTSPLIT(A2," ") which returns all segments at once and spills into adjacent cells automatically.
Does FIND distinguish uppercase from lowercase?
Yes, FIND is case-sensitive. Use SEARCH for case-insensitive delimiter detection.
More on Text manipulation
See all →How-to
How to split text into columns
Split a full name or any delimited text into separate columns. Google Sheets uses SPLIT; Excel uses TEXTSPLIT — here is each.
How-toHow to remove extra spaces
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.