How to Extract Values from Excel Cells: Techniques and Formulas

Excel is a powerful tool for data manipulation, and one of the essential skills is extracting values from cells based on specific criteria. Whether you need to get the raw value, extract parts of a string, or categorize data, understanding how to do this is crucial. This guide covers the basics of extracting values from Excel cells using different functions such as LEFT, RIGHT, and MID.

Selecting and Viewing Cell Values

To get the value of a cell in Excel, follow these steps:

Select the cell whose value you want to retrieve by clicking on it. For example, to get the value from cell A1, click on A1. View the value in the formula bar at the top of the Excel window. This is where the current value of the selected cell is displayed.

Referencing Cell Values in Formulas

If you wish to use the value of a cell in another formula or display it in another cell, you can reference it. Here's how:

Select the target cell where you want to display the value. For example, to display the value of cell A1 in cell B1, click on cell B1 and enter the formula: Enter the formula A1 in cell B1. Press Enter and the value from A1 will appear in B1.

Copying Cell Values

Copying cell values to another location can be done in a few different ways:

Right-click the cell containing the value you want to copy and select Copy. Then, right-click the destination cell and select Paste. Use keyboard shortcuts: select the cell, press Ctrl C to copy the value, and then select the target cell and press Ctrl V to paste the value.

Advanced Techniques: Using LEFT, RIGHT, and MID Functions

Excel offers powerful text functions to extract specific parts of a string. Here’s how to use the LEFT, RIGHT, and MID functions:

LEFT Function

The LEFT function extracts a specified number of characters from the left-hand side of a string. Its syntax is:

LEFT(text, [number_of_chars])

For example, to extract the first 2 characters from the string in cell A1:

LEFT(A1, 2)

RIGHT Function

The RIGHT function extracts a specified number of characters from the right-hand side of a string. Its syntax is:

RIGHT(text, [number_of_chars])

For example, to extract the last 3 characters from the string in cell A1:

RIGHT(A1, 3)

MID Function

The MID function extracts characters from a string starting at a specified location. Its syntax is:

MID(text, [start_num], [num_chars])

For example, to extract the 4th to 8th characters from the string in cell A1:

MID(A1, 4, 5)

Combining Functions: Nesting SEARCH and LEN

When dealing with varying strings, you might need to combine functions to achieve the desired extraction. Here’s how:

SEARCH Function: Finds the starting position of a substring within a text string. Syntax: SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num]) LEN Function: Returns the length of a string, including spaces. Syntax: LEN(text)

Example:

Suppose you have the string XG-1234-PG in cell A1. To extract the middle 4 characters:

MID(A1, 4, 4)

Now suppose you want to extract the 4 characters from "Good apple" in cell A1:

MID(A1, SEARCH("apple", A1, 1) - LEN("apple") 1, 4)

Extracting Multiple Values

When dealing with varying strings that may contain multiple keywords, you might want to categorize them accordingly. Here’s an example using the IFERROR function:

Nest the MID and SEARCH functions in the IFERROR function to handle errors gracefully. IFERROR Function: IFERROR(value, [value_if_error]) - returns the second argument if the first one is an error