Remove First 4 Characters In Excel Quickly And Easily

Removing the first four characters from a string of text in Excel can be a tedious task, especially when dealing with large datasets. However, with the right techniques and formulas, you can accomplish this task quickly and easily.

Why Remove First Four Characters in Excel?

There are several scenarios where removing the first four characters from a string of text in Excel can be useful. For instance:

• You have a list of phone numbers that start with the area code, and you want to remove the area code to get the actual phone number.
• You have a list of product codes that start with a prefix, and you want to remove the prefix to get the actual product code.
• You have a list of text strings that start with a certain pattern, and you want to remove that pattern to get the actual text.

Whatever the reason, removing the first four characters from a string of text in Excel can be done using various methods.

Using the RIGHT Function in Excel

One of the easiest ways to remove the first four characters from a string of text in Excel is by using the RIGHT function. The RIGHT function returns a specified number of characters from the end of a text string.

The syntax for the RIGHT function is:

RIGHT(text, num_chars)

Where:

• text is the text string from which you want to extract characters
• num_chars is the number of characters you want to extract from the end of the text string

For example, suppose you have a list of text strings in column A, and you want to remove the first four characters from each string. You can use the following formula in column B:

=RIGHT(A2, LEN(A2)-4)

Where:

• A2 is the cell containing the text string from which you want to remove the first four characters
• LEN(A2) returns the length of the text string in cell A2
• LEN(A2)-4 returns the length of the text string minus 4 characters

By using the RIGHT function in this way, you can quickly and easily remove the first four characters from a text string in Excel.

Using the SUBSTITUTE Function in Excel

Another way to remove the first four characters from a text string in Excel is by using the SUBSTITUTE function. The SUBSTITUTE function replaces text in a string with other text.

The syntax for the SUBSTITUTE function is:

SUBSTITUTE(text, old_text, new_text, [instance_num])

Where:

• text is the text string from which you want to remove characters
• old_text is the text you want to replace
• new_text is the text you want to replace the old text with
• [instance_num] is the instance of the old text you want to replace

For example, suppose you have a list of text strings in column A, and you want to remove the first four characters from each string. You can use the following formula in column B:

=SUBSTITUTE(A2, LEFT(A2, 4), "")

Where:

• A2 is the cell containing the text string from which you want to remove the first four characters
• LEFT(A2, 4) returns the first four characters of the text string in cell A2
• "" is the text you want to replace the first four characters with (i.e., nothing)

By using the SUBSTITUTE function in this way, you can quickly and easily remove the first four characters from a text string in Excel.

Using Power Query in Excel

If you are using Excel 2010 or later, you can also use Power Query to remove the first four characters from a text string. Power Query is a powerful data manipulation tool that allows you to extract, transform, and load data from various sources.

To use Power Query to remove the first four characters from a text string, follow these steps:

1. Select the range of cells containing the text strings from which you want to remove the first four characters.
2. Go to the "Data" tab in the ribbon and click on the "From Table/Range" button in the "Get & Transform Data" group.
3. In the "Create Table" dialog box, select the range of cells you selected in step 1 and click "OK".
4. In the "Power Query Editor" window, click on the "Add Column" tab and select "Custom Column".
5. In the "Custom Column" dialog box, enter the following formula:

= RIGHT([Text], LEN([Text]) - 4)

Where:

• [Text] is the column containing the text strings from which you want to remove the first four characters

By using Power Query in this way, you can quickly and easily remove the first four characters from a text string in Excel.

Conclusion

Removing the first four characters from a text string in Excel can be a tedious task, but with the right techniques and formulas, you can accomplish this task quickly and easily. Whether you use the RIGHT function, the SUBSTITUTE function, or Power Query, you can remove the first four characters from a text string in Excel with ease.

Try out these methods and see which one works best for you!

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