How to remove numbers from text in Excel
Excel formula
=TRIM(LET(c,MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1),CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c))))In Excel 365, keep only the characters that aren't digits: =TRIM(LET(c,MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1),CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c)))).
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
B2, filled down toB7 - Works in
- Microsoft 365 only
- Google Sheets
- Different formula, see below
See it work
The formula is already in B2, filled down to B7. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
LET names c, the list of single characters. --c turns digits into numbers and everything else into errors, so ISNUMBER is TRUE only for digits. IF swaps those for "", CONCAT joins the rest back together, and TRIM removes the space left by "Chidi Okafor 2".
In Google Sheets, \d matches any digit and REGEXREPLACE deletes them all.
=TRIM(LET(c,MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1),CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c))))Result"Aiko"
c{7 rows × 1 col} "A", "i", "k", "o", …A name defined in LET, or a named range.
A2"Aiko123"The value in A2.
LEN(A2)7LEN: Number of characters.- text
A2"Aiko123"
- text
SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)){7 rows × 1 col} 1, 2, 3, 4, …SEQUENCE: A grid of sequential numbers. Spills.- rows
LEN(A2)7
- rows
MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1){7 rows × 1 col} "A", "i", "k", "o", …MID: Characters from the middle of text.- text
A2"Aiko123" - start_num
SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)){7 rows × 1 col} 1, 2, 3, 4, … - num_chars
1
- text
-c{7 rows × 1 col} #VALUE!, #VALUE!, #VALUE!, #VALUE!, …Makes the value negative.
--c{7 rows × 1 col} #VALUE!, #VALUE!, #VALUE!, #VALUE!, …Makes the value negative.
ISNUMBER(--c){7 rows × 1 col} FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, …ISNUMBER: TRUE if the value is a number.- value
--c{7 rows × 1 col} #VALUE!, #VALUE!, #VALUE!, #VALUE!, …
- value
IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c){7 rows × 1 col} "A", "i", "k", "o", …IF: Returns one value if a test is true, another if false.- logical_test
ISNUMBER(--c){7 rows × 1 col} FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, … - value_if_true
"" - value_if_false
c{7 rows × 1 col} "A", "i", "k", "o", …
- logical_test
CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c))"Aiko"CONCAT: Joins text and ranges.- text1
IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c){7 rows × 1 col} "A", "i", "k", "o", …
- text1
LET(c,MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1),CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c)))"Aiko"LET: Names values inside a formula.- name1
c{7 rows × 1 col} "A", "i", "k", "o", … - value1
MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1){7 rows × 1 col} "A", "i", "k", "o", … - name2, value2
CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c))"Aiko"
- name1
TRIM(LET(c,MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1),CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c))))"Aiko"TRIM: Removes extra spaces, leaving single spaces between words.- text
LET(c,MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1),CONCAT(IF(ISNUMBER(--c),"",c)))"Aiko"
- text
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets needs a different formula: =TRIM(REGEXREPLACE(A2,"\d","")). On the same data it gives the same result. Here it is running in Google Sheets mode.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"0",""),"1",""),"2",""),"3",""),"4",""),"5",""),"6",""),"7",""),"8",""),"9","")) | Aiko, BB Sales, Room B… | Works in every version: one SUBSTITUTE per digit. |
Common mistakes
- Removing digits can leave double spaces or a space before punctuation. Keep the TRIM.
- Decimal points and minus signs aren't digits, so "-12.5 kg" becomes "-. kg". Remove those characters too if they belong to the numbers.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Remove numbers from text
B2, remove every digit from the text, trim the leftover spaces, and fill down to B7.Questions
How do I keep only the numbers instead?
Flip the test: =CONCAT(IFERROR(MID(A2,SEQUENCE(LEN(A2)),1)*1,"")).
Is there a REGEXREPLACE in Excel?
Yes, in Microsoft 365: =REGEXREPLACE(A2,"[0-9]","").
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.