Return a given number of characters from the start of a text string.
Syntax
LEFT(text, [num_chars])Arguments
textrequired
The text to extract from.
num_charsoptional
How many characters to return (default 1).
LEFT extracts characters from the left of a string — useful for pulling prefixes, codes, or area numbers. Pair it with RIGHT, MID, and FIND to split fields like "AB-1234" into parts.
=LEFT("AB-1234", 2)→ABReturns the first two characters.
Point at the text
Reference the cell holding the string.
Set the count
Specify how many leading characters to keep.
Combine MID with FIND, or use TEXTAFTER in newer Excel: =TEXTAFTER(A2, "-").