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LEFT function in Google Sheets

Returns a substring from the beginning of a specified string.

=LEFT(string, [number_of_characters])

LEFT syntax and parameters

Two arguments, one required.

  • stringstringRequired

    The string from which the left portion will be returned.

  • number_of_charactersnumberOptional

    [ OPTIONAL - 1 by default ] - The number of characters to return from the left side of string.

LEFT examples

Formulas you'll actually reuse.

  1. The three-letter region prefix from a code like NYC-10422:

    =LEFT(A2, 3)

    Result"NYC"

  2. The username part of an email — everything before the @:

    =LEFT(B2, FIND("@", B2) - 1)

    Result"maria.lopez"

LEFT in Excel

Same name — your formula ports as-is.

Try LEFT in the playground

Edit the example — nothing to install.

Preloaded with the LEFT formula from Example 1 — change anything and watch it respond.

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LEFT errors

What they mean — and the fixes.

  • #VALUE!

    The character count is negative — usually a FIND that came back smaller than expected; check the delimiter exists.

Related functions

More ways Google Sheets gets this done.