Text & Cleanup

Excel formula for Extract a file extension

Pull the extension (the text after the last dot) from a filename.

Copy this formula

=TEXTAFTER(A2, ".", -1)

How the formula works

Using instance -1 makes TEXTAFTER start from the last dot, so it works even when the filename contains several dots. In older Excel, the classic RIGHT/SUBSTITUTE/REPT trick handles it.

Examples

=TEXTAFTER("report.final.xlsx", ".", -1)→xlsx

Returns the extension after the last dot.

Other ways to do this

Legacy

=TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(A2, ".", REPT(" ",100)), 100))

Works without TEXTAFTER.

FAQ

How do I get the filename without the extension?

Use =TEXTBEFORE(A2, ".", -1) to keep everything before the last dot.

Related formulas

Extract the last word from text Extract text before a delimiter

Functions used

TEXTAFTER RIGHT SUBSTITUTE

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