Google Sheets: How to Use IF(LEFT) to Extract Text from a Cell

Use natural language to write 'if left text match' with AI

Capgo

— 1 min read
Google Sheets: How to Use IF(LEFT) to Extract Text from a Cell

The IF(LEFT) Formula in Google Sheets

The IF(LEFT) formula in Google Sheets is used to check if the first characters in a cell match a specific text or criteria.

The syntax for the formula is:

=IF(LEFT(cell_reference, number_of_characters) = "text_to_check", value_if_true, value_if_false)
  • cell_reference: The cell you want to check the first characters of.
  • number_of_characters: The number of characters you want to check from the left side of the cell.
  • text_to_check: The specific text or criteria you want to compare the first characters to.
  • value_if_true: The value to return if the first characters match the text_to_check.
  • value_if_false: The value to return if the first characters do not match the text_to_check.

For example, if you want to check if the first 3 characters in cell A1 are "ABC" and return "Yes" if true and "No" if false, you would use the formula:

=IF(LEFT(A1, 3) = "ABC", "Yes", "No")

Simply replace "ABC" with the specific text you want to check for, and adjust the cell reference and number of characters as needed.

Now you can use simple words to process data. It's at CapGo AI Sheet. For Google Sheet formula '=IF(LEFT(A1, 3) = "Pro", "Professional", "Other")':

You can write a simple instruction "Return 'Professional' if the first three characters of #A are 'Pro', otherwise return 'Other'"

In 1 second, all your data is processed!

Try it now at CapGo.AI

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