Remove text before, after or between two characters in Excel

This tutorial explores various Excel techniques for removing text before, after, or between specific characters within strings. We'll cover several methods, from simple Find & Replace to powerful formulas and a custom VBA function, culminating in a look at the advanced capabilities of the Ultimate Suite add-in.

Methods for Removing Text:

• Find and Replace: This built-in Excel tool offers a quick way to remove text. To delete text before a character, use \*char; for text after a character, use char\*; and for text between two characters, use char\*char. Remember to leave the "Replace with" field blank. Note that this method modifies the original data.

• Flash Fill: Available in Excel 2013 and later, Flash Fill intelligently learns patterns from your input and automatically applies the same logic to the rest of your data. This is a user-friendly method for removing text parts before or after a character.

• Formulas: Formulas offer precise control and don't alter the source data.

  • Removing text after a character: Use LEFT(cell, SEARCH("char", cell)-1).
  • Removing text before a character: Use TRIM(RIGHT(cell, LEN(cell)-SEARCH("char", cell))).
  • Removing text after the Nth occurrence: LEFT(cell, FIND("#", SUBSTITUTE(cell, "char", "#", n))-1). Replace "#" with a character not present in your data.
  • Removing text before the Nth occurrence: TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(cell, "char", "#", n), LEN(cell)-FIND("#", SUBSTITUTE(cell, "char", "#", n)))).
  • Removing text after the last occurrence: LEFT(cell, FIND("#", SUBSTITUTE(cell, "char", "#", LEN(cell)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(cell, "char",""))))-1).
  • Removing text before the last occurrence: TRIM(RIGHT(cell, LEN(cell)-FIND("#", SUBSTITUTE(cell, "char", "#", LEN(cell)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(cell, "char","")))))).

• Custom VBA Function: For ultimate flexibility, a custom VBA function, RemoveText(string, delimiter, occurrence, is_after), provides a single solution for all scenarios. This function takes the string, delimiter, occurrence number, and a boolean indicating whether to remove text before or after the delimiter.

• Ultimate Suite Add-in: The Ultimate Suite offers a user-friendly interface for removing text based on position or matching specific characters, providing advanced options for case sensitivity and delimiter inclusion. Its "Remove by Position" feature simplifies removing text before, after, or between specified characters.

Choose the method that best suits your needs and data complexity. For simple tasks, Find & Replace or Flash Fill might suffice. For more complex scenarios or greater control, formulas or the custom VBA function are recommended. The Ultimate Suite provides the most comprehensive and user-friendly solution for advanced text manipulation.

Downloadable Resources:

• Example workbook demonstrating these techniques: [Remove first or last characters - examples (.xlsm file)]
• Trial version of Ultimate Suite: [Ultimate Suite - trial version (.exe file)]

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