# How to remove text in parentheses in Excel

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

**Excel:** `=IFERROR(TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")),A2)` (Microsoft 365 only)

**Google Sheets:** `=TRIM(REGEXREPLACE(A2,"\([^)]*\)",""))`

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B |
| --- | --- |
| Product | Without brackets |
| Desk lamp (Black) |  |
| Office chair (Charcoal grey) |  |
| Monitor arm |  |
| Standing desk (Walnut) - 140 cm |  |
| Notebook (A5) |  |

Formula in B2, filled to B6: `=IFERROR(TRIM(REPLACE(A2,FIND("(",A2),FIND(")",A2)-FIND("(",A2)+1,"")),A2)`

Result: Desk lamp; Office chair; Monitor arm; Standing desk - 140 cm; Notebook

## 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.

## Other ways

- `=TRIM(TEXTBEFORE(A2,"(",,,,A2)&TEXTAFTER(A2,")",,,,""))`: 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.

## 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,"("),")")`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/remove-text-in-parentheses