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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.
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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
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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.