Return a given number of characters from the start of a text string.
This function works the same in Google Sheets as it does in Excel — same syntax and arguments.
LEFT(text, [num_chars])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)Result: AB
Returns the first two characters.
Combine MID with FIND, or use TEXTAFTER in newer Excel: =TEXTAFTER(A2, "-").