How to remove the first character or the first several characters in an Excel cell? A product code before the name, a numbering “1. ”, an apostrophe or a currency sign at the beginning: all of these have to go without touching the rest of the text.
Note: this page is about cases where the number of characters is fixed, one, two, three and so on. Removing text up to a certain character has a separate article. And if you need to cut the characters into the next cell rather than delete them, see how to get the first N characters of a cell.
Formula to remove the first N characters
For these formulas you need the RIGHT and LEN functions. RIGHT takes the given number of characters from the end of the text, and LEN returns the number of characters in a cell.
To remove N characters on the left, take from the right as many characters as the length of the string minus N:
=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-N)
Remove the first character
=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-1)
This formula takes the text from cell A1 and cuts one character off the beginning.
Remove the first N characters
To remove several characters at once, for example 2, replace 1 with the number of characters to remove:
=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-2)
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | −1 character | −2 characters | −3 characters |
| 2 | $1,250 | 1,250=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-1) | ,250=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-2) | 250=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-3) |
| 3 | 1. Introduction | . Introduction=RIGHT(A3,LEN(A3)-1) | Introduction=RIGHT(A3,LEN(A3)-2) | Introduction=RIGHT(A3,LEN(A3)-3) |
| 4 | SKU-1024 | KU-1024=RIGHT(A4,LEN(A4)-1) | U-1024=RIGHT(A4,LEN(A4)-2) | -1024=RIGHT(A4,LEN(A4)-3) |
LEN counts the characters, RIGHT keeps all of them except the first N. Note that the result is text: “1,250” from “$1,250” won’t add up until you convert it with VALUE.
| Before | =RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-1) | =RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-3) |
|---|---|---|
| $1,250 | 1,250 | 250 |
| 1. Introduction | . Introduction | Introduction |
| SKU-1024 | KU-1024 | -1024 |
Note the first row: if a cell contains a real number formatted as currency, the “$” is only formatting, not a character, and the formula cuts the digits. The result is also text, not a number. To get a number back, wrap the formula in VALUE or convert text to numbers.
Alternative with the REPLACE function
The REPLACE function does the same in a shorter way: it replaces N characters starting from position 1 with nothing.
=REPLACE(A1,1,N,"")
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | $1,250 | ,250=REPLACE(A2,1,2,"") |
| 3 | 1. Introduction | Introduction=REPLACE(A3,1,2,"") |
| 4 | SKU-1024 | U-1024=REPLACE(A4,1,2,"") |
REPLACE replaces 2 characters starting at position 1 with an empty string. Unlike RIGHT + LEN it doesn’t return #VALUE! when the cell is shorter than N — it just returns an empty string.
Unlike RIGHT + LEN, it doesn’t return an error when N is larger than the length of the text: it simply returns an empty string.
Remove a specific character at the beginning (only if it’s there)
For example, a cell may start with a certain character, such as “@”, a period, a comma or a space, and it must be removed only if it’s there. The LEFT function checks the first character, and IF decides what to return:
=IF(LEFT(A1,1)="@",RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-1),A1)
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | @semtools | semtools=IF(LEFT(A2,1)="@",RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-1),A2) |
| 3 | semtools | semtools=IF(LEFT(A3,1)="@",RIGHT(A3,LEN(A3)-1),A3) |
| 4 | @@double | @double=IF(LEFT(A4,1)="@",RIGHT(A4,LEN(A4)-1),A4) |
Only one character is removed: “@@double” keeps the second @. Handy for lists of social media handles.
Replace “@” with the character you need to check.
Remove one of several prefixes
Sometimes you need to remove different prefixes or character combinations at the beginning of a string, for example titles before names. This formula checks the list of prefixes and removes the one the cell starts with:
=IFERROR(MID(A1,LEN(INDEX({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},MATCH(TRUE,LEFT(A1,LEN({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "}))={"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},0)))+1,LEN(A1)),A1)
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | Mr. John Smith | John Smith=IFERROR(MID(A2,LEN(INDEX({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},MATCH(TRUE,LEFT(A2,LEN({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "}))={"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},0)))+1,LEN(A2)),A2) |
| 3 | Dr. Anna Lee | Anna Lee=IFERROR(MID(A3,LEN(INDEX({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},MATCH(TRUE,LEFT(A3,LEN({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "}))={"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},0)))+1,LEN(A3)),A3) |
| 4 | Mrs. Kate Brown | Kate Brown=IFERROR(MID(A4,LEN(INDEX({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},MATCH(TRUE,LEFT(A4,LEN({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "}))={"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},0)))+1,LEN(A4)),A4) |
| 5 | Jane Doe | Jane Doe=IFERROR(MID(A5,LEN(INDEX({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},MATCH(TRUE,LEFT(A5,LEN({"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "}))={"Mr. ","Mrs. ","Dr. "},0)))+1,LEN(A5)),A5) |
MATCH finds which prefix the cell starts with, LEN gives its length, and MID returns the rest. If no prefix matches, IFERROR returns the text unchanged. In Excel 2019 and earlier enter it with Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
“Dr. John Smith” becomes “John Smith”, and cells without any of the prefixes stay as they are. It’s an array formula: in Excel 2019 and earlier, confirm it with Ctrl+Shift+Enter. The formula works, but as you can see, it’s far from something you’d type from memory.
Remove digits at the beginning of a cell
A classic case is a number at the start, like “12 Main Street” or “2024 annual report”, where the number of digits varies. In Excel 365, find the position of the first non-digit character and take the text from it:
=TRIM(MID(A1,MATCH(TRUE,ISERROR(--MID(A1,SEQUENCE(LEN(A1)),1)),0),LEN(A1)))
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | 123 Main St | Main St=TRIM(MID(A2,MATCH(TRUE,ISERROR(--MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1)),0),LEN(A2))) |
| 3 | 2026 report | report=TRIM(MID(A3,MATCH(TRUE,ISERROR(--MID(A3,SEQUENCE(LEN(A3)),1)),0),LEN(A3))) |
| 4 | Report 2026 | Report 2026=TRIM(MID(A4,MATCH(TRUE,ISERROR(--MID(A4,SEQUENCE(LEN(A4)),1)),0),LEN(A4))) |
SEQUENCE splits the text into characters, --MID turns digits into numbers and letters into errors, and MATCH finds the first non-digit. TRIM removes the space left after the number. Excel 365 only (SEQUENCE).
MID with SEQUENCE splits the text into characters, --(…) turns digits into numbers and everything else into errors, MATCH finds the first error, that is, the first non-digit, and TRIM removes the space after the number. If the number is followed by a period, as in “3. Results”, the formula keeps the period: use the regex below, which is also much simpler in older versions.
Remove letters at the beginning of a cell
The opposite task: remove the letters before the first non-letter, for example the prefix in “ABC123”. Letters are the characters that change when the case changes, so in Excel 365:
=LET(c,MID(A1,SEQUENCE(LEN(A1)),1),MID(A1,MATCH(TRUE,EXACT(LOWER(c),UPPER(c)),0),LEN(A1)))
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | ABC123 | 123=LET(c,MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1),MID(A2,MATCH(TRUE,EXACT(LOWER(c),UPPER(c)),0),LEN(A2))) |
| 3 | SKU-1024 | -1024=LET(c,MID(A3,SEQUENCE(LEN(A3)),1),MID(A3,MATCH(TRUE,EXACT(LOWER(c),UPPER(c)),0),LEN(A3))) |
| 4 | x9 model | 9 model=LET(c,MID(A4,SEQUENCE(LEN(A4)),1),MID(A4,MATCH(TRUE,EXACT(LOWER(c),UPPER(c)),0),LEN(A4))) |
A character is a letter if its lowercase and uppercase versions differ. MATCH finds the first character that isn’t a letter, and MID returns the text from there. Excel 365 only (LET, SEQUENCE).
Remove with regular expressions (REGEX)
Regular expressions are an extremely powerful tool for removing characters from text: at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a cell. The key is to know the syntax. The key character for the beginning of a cell is “^”, the start of the string.
In Excel 365, REGEXREPLACE is built in. In older versions, the !SEMTools regex functions are available in the free version with no time limit.
Remove the first character
The pattern “^.” means “the first character at the start of the string”:
=REGEXREPLACE(A1,"^.","")
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | $1,250 | 1,250=REGEXREPLACE(A2,"^.","") |
| 3 | #tag | tag=REGEXREPLACE(A3,"^.","") |
^ is the start of the cell, . is any character. In Excel 365 this is the built-in REGEXREPLACE; in older versions the function with the same name comes with !SEMTools.
Remove the first N characters
For several characters, for example 3:
=REGEXREPLACE(A1,"^.{3}","")
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | SKU-1024 | -1024=REGEXREPLACE(A2,"^.{3}","") |
| 3 | ab | ab=REGEXREPLACE(A3,"^.{3}","") |
If the cell is shorter than 3 characters, nothing is removed — no error.
Remove all digits at the beginning of a cell
Including the separator after them, a period and spaces, as in “3. Results”:
=REGEXREPLACE(A1,"^\d+[.)]?\s*","")
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | 1. Introduction | Introduction=REGEXREPLACE(A2,"^\d+[.)]?\s*","") |
| 3 | 12) Summary | Summary=REGEXREPLACE(A3,"^\d+[.)]?\s*","") |
| 4 | 2026 report | report=REGEXREPLACE(A4,"^\d+[.)]?\s*","") |
The pattern removes the digits, an optional period or bracket, and the spaces after them. “2026 report” loses “2026 ” too — the pattern can’t tell a number from a year.
Remove all letters at the beginning of a cell
=REGEXREPLACE(A1,"^[A-Za-z]+","")
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | ABC123 | 123=REGEXREPLACE(A2,"^[A-Za-z]+","") |
| 3 | SKU-1024 | -1024=REGEXREPLACE(A3,"^[A-Za-z]+","") |
| 4 | 123abc | 123abc=REGEXREPLACE(A4,"^[A-Za-z]+","") |
Only Latin letters at the very beginning are removed; “123abc” starts with a digit, so nothing changes.
Remove spaces at the beginning of a cell
To remove all spaces at the start of the string:
=REGEXREPLACE(A1,"^\s+","")
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Result |
| 2 | indented text | indented text=REGEXREPLACE(A2,"^\s+","") |
| 3 | no spaces | no spaces=REGEXREPLACE(A3,"^\s+","") |
Unlike TRIM, this removes only the spaces at the start and leaves double spaces inside the text untouched.
If you need to remove extra spaces everywhere, not only at the beginning, see how to remove extra spaces.
Remove first N characters with !SEMTools
All the formulas above need a helper column: type, fill down, paste values, delete the original. To save time when you don’t need the source data, I made !SEMTools procedures that remove characters right in place. If you’re not completely sure, use the “output result to the right” checkbox on the add-in panel, and the source stays untouched.
- Select the range. You can select the whole column, only filled cells are processed.
- On the !SEMTools tab, go to Delete → Characters → By position → From left.
- Enter the number of characters to remove and click OK.
Why it’s faster: no helper columns with formulas, the action can be undone, and the algorithms are optimized for hundreds of thousands of cells.
See also:
Remove the first characters, prefixes and leading digits from whole columns right in place, without formulas or helper columns.
!SEMTools solves this and hundreds of other text tasks in a couple of clicks!
Related operations with characters
I hope you found what you were looking for on this page and were able to remove the first characters in your cells. RIGHT + LEN or REPLACE work in any version, regex handles variable prefixes in one pattern, and for whole columns !SEMTools does it in place in a couple of clicks.
You may also be interested in related operations: