Text Manipulationintermediate
Extract a substring from the middle with MID
=MID(A2,5,3)
Excel how-to guide
How to right extract suffix in Excel
Extract the last 4 digits of an account number, the file extension from a filename, or a 2-character state code at the end of an address.
Step-by-step instructions
How to right extract suffix — 3 steps
1
Reference the cell that contains the text.
2
Provide the number of characters to extract from the right end of the string.
3
Copy the formula down to apply it to every row in the column.
Example data
Worked example
| Account Number | Last 4 |
|---|---|
| ACCT-8821 | 8821 |
| ACCT-3340 | 3340 |
| ACCT-0017 | 0017 |
Common mistakes
Errors to watch out for
Wrong number of characters returned
RIGHT counts from the last character inward, so RIGHT(A2,4) always returns the final 4 characters regardless of total length.
Gets numbers instead of text
Wrap numeric cells in TEXT before using RIGHT — for example, RIGHT(TEXT(A2,"0000"),4) for a zero-padded 4-digit suffix.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract everything after the last slash in a file path?
Use =RIGHT(A2, LEN(A2)-FIND("*",SUBSTITUTE(A2,"/","*",LEN(A2)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"/",""))))) to find the last slash position and return everything after it.
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Text Manipulationbeginner
Extract the first N characters with LEFT
=LEFT(A2,3)