Text formula workshop
Split, join, and extract text in Excel.
Describe the text job. Copy a US-English formula for TEXTSPLIT, TEXTJOIN, TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, LEFT, MID, RIGHT, SUBSTITUTE, or TRIM.
TEXTSPLIT
Spill one cell into columns or rows on a delimiter.
TEXTJOIN
Combine a range with a delimiter and optional blank skipping.
TEXTBEFORE
Keep the text before a marker, such as a first name.
TEXTAFTER
Keep the text after a marker, such as an email domain.
LEFT
Take a fixed number of characters from the start.
MID
Take characters from a 1-based starting position.
RIGHT
Take a fixed number of characters from the end.
SUBSTITUTE
Replace matching text, or one specific occurrence.
TRIM
Collapse extra spaces at the ends and between words.
=IFERROR(LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1),"")Splits A2 on a space and spills each piece into the next column.
Preview
- TEXTSPLIT needs Microsoft 365 or current Google Sheets.
- Leave empty cells to the right so the spill is not blocked (#SPILL!).
- The FIND fallback works in older Excel that does not have this function.
Supported functions: TEXTSPLIT, TEXTJOIN, TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, LEFT, MID, RIGHT, SUBSTITUTE, TRIM.
Start with a common text job
The three presets cover the requests people make most: split a full name on a space, join several cells with a comma, and pull the domain from an email. Change the cell, delimiter, or sample text and the formula updates in place.
Related Excel guides
Text formula workshop FAQ
Is this an AI generator?
No. The workshop turns your split, join, or extract description into an Excel formula immediately. It does not use a daily generation quota.
Which Excel version do I need?
TEXTSPLIT, TEXTBEFORE, and TEXTAFTER need Microsoft 365. TEXTJOIN needs Excel 2019 or later. LEFT, MID, RIGHT, SUBSTITUTE, and TRIM work in older Excel. When it can, the workshop also shows a FIND-based fallback.
What can I describe?
Split a full name, join a range with a comma, extract an email domain, take LEFT/MID/RIGHT pieces, replace text with SUBSTITUTE, or TRIM extra spaces. Name the cell, such as A2 or B2:D2.
Does this work in Google Sheets?
TEXTJOIN, LEFT, MID, RIGHT, SUBSTITUTE, and TRIM work in Sheets. TEXTSPLIT, TEXTBEFORE, and TEXTAFTER work in current Google Sheets. Function names stay US-English with comma separators.