Spreadsheet Practice

How to remove text in parentheses in Excel

Excel formula

=IFERROR(TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")),A2)

Replace everything from "(" to ")" with nothing: =IFERROR(TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")),A2).

Result on the example
one result per row in B2, filled down to B6
Works in
Microsoft 365 only
Google Sheets
Different formula, see below

See it work

The formula is already in B2, filled down to B6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

FIND locates the "(" and the ")". REPLACE starts at the "(" and replaces as many characters as there are from one bracket to the other, inclusive, with nothing. TRIM removes the space that was in front of the bracket. "Monitor arm" has no brackets, so FIND errors and IFERROR returns the name unchanged.

In Google Sheets, the pattern \([^)]*\) matches a bracket, anything that isn't a closing bracket, and the closing bracket.

=IFERROR(TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")),A2)

Result"Desk lamp"

  1. A2"Desk lamp (Black)"

    The value in A2.

  2. FIND("(",A2)11

    FIND: Position of text, case-sensitive.

    • find_text"("
    • within_textA2"Desk lamp (Black)"
  3. FIND(")",A2)17

    FIND: Position of text, case-sensitive.

    • find_text")"
    • within_textA2"Desk lamp (Black)"
  4. FIND("(",A2)11

    FIND: Position of text, case-sensitive.

    • find_text"("
    • within_textA2"Desk lamp (Black)"
  5. FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)6

    The - operator subtracts.

  6. FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+17

    The + operator adds.

  7. REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")"Desk lamp "

    REPLACE: Replaces characters by position.

    • old_textA2"Desk lamp (Black)"
    • start_numFIND("(",A2)11
    • num_charsFIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+17
    • new_text""
  8. TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,""))"Desk lamp"

    TRIM: Removes extra spaces, leaving single spaces between words.

    • textREPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")"Desk lamp "
  9. IFERROR(TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")),A2)"Desk lamp"

    IFERROR: Returns a fallback when the value is any error.

    • valueTRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,""))"Desk lamp"
    • value_if_errorA2"Desk lamp (Black)"not used

In Google Sheets

Google Sheets needs a different formula: =TRIM(REGEXREPLACE(A2,"\([^)]*\)","")). 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.

FormulaResultWhen to use it
=TRIM(TEXTBEFORE(A2,"(",,,,A2)&TEXTAFTER(A2,")",,,,""))Desk lamp, Office chair, Monitor arm…Excel 365: join the text before the "(" and after the ")". The last arguments handle names without brackets.

Common mistakes

  • Only the first pair is removed in Excel. For two pairs, apply the formula to its own result, or use the Google Sheets pattern, which removes all of them.
  • A "(" without a matching ")" gives an error, and IFERROR quietly returns the original text. Filter for ISNUMBER(FIND("(",B2)) to catch those.

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 text in parentheses

In B2, remove the parentheses and the text inside them, then fill down to B6. Names without brackets stay as they are.

Questions

How do I remove text in square brackets?

Swap the characters: =IFERROR(TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("[",A2),FIND("]",A2)-FIND("[",A2)+1,"")),A2).

How do I keep the text in the brackets instead?

Use =TEXTBEFORE(TEXTAFTER(A2,"("),")").

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.