Text·Lesson 36 of 62Pro
How to use LEFT in Google Sheets
Take the first characters
How LEFT works
LEFT returns a number of characters from the start of text. RIGHT takes them from the end.
LEFT(text, how many)
Example on this data
=RIGHT(C4,3)→GRN
The colour code at the end of the SKU in row 4.
What you’ll do
You’ll pull the short product code from the start of a SKU. Taking the first few characters is how you split codes and IDs into useful pieces.
Try it
Type =RIGHT(C4,3) into G2 and press Enter. Watch what the sheet does.
The result will appear in G2.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full name | SKU | Note | ||||
| 2 | maria lopez | maria.lopez@acme.com | WID-2041-BLU | Call back 555-0142 | |||
| 3 | james chen | jchen@northwind.io | GAD-1180-RED | Sent invoice | |||
| 4 | Priya Shah | priya@shahdesign.co | WID-3307-GRN | Call back 555-0199 | |||
| 5 | tom o'neil | tom.oneil@acme.com | BOX-0042-BLU | Left voicemail | |||
| 6 | Lena Park | lena.park@globex.com | GAD-2215-BLK | Call back 555-0107 | |||
| 7 | sam reed | sreed@northwind.io | WID-0918-RED | Meeting Tue |
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You’ve seen how LEFT works. Pro lets you write it yourself on real data and get checked instantly, with practice sets and section reviews for every lesson.
Your drill
In G2, pull out the 3-letter product code at the start of the SKU in C2.
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