# How to split text by a multi-character delimiter in Google Sheets

Set SPLIT's third argument to FALSE so the whole delimiter is used: =SPLIT(A2," - ",FALSE). By default SPLIT splits at each character.

**Google Sheets:** `=SPLIT(A2," - ",FALSE)`

**Excel:** Excel 365's TEXTSPLIT always treats the delimiter as one piece of text: =TEXTSPLIT(A2," - ").

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Route | From | To |
| Minneapolis - Saint Paul |  |  |
| Duluth - Fargo |  |  |
| Madison - Green Bay |  |  |
| Sioux Falls - Rochester |  |  |
| Des Moines - Ames |  |  |

Formula in B2, filled to B6: `=SPLIT(A2," - ",FALSE)`

Result: Minneapolis; Duluth; Madison; Sioux Falls; Des Moines

## How it works

SPLIT's third argument, split_by_each, is TRUE by default: every character of the delimiter is its own delimiter, so " - " splits at spaces and dashes alike and "Sioux Falls" falls apart. With FALSE, only the exact text " - " splits the cell.

## Other ways

- `=SPLIT(A2," - ")`: The default, to see the problem. (Splits at every space too, so "Sioux Falls" becomes "Sioux" and "Falls".)

## Common mistakes

- SPLIT also removes empty pieces by default (the fourth argument). Set it to FALSE to keep blank fields in delimited data.
- SPLIT turns number-like pieces into numbers, which drops leading zeros. Use REGEXEXTRACT when you need text.

## Questions

**How do I split by any of several characters on purpose?**

Leave split_by_each on: `=SPLIT(A2,",;")` splits at commas and semicolons.

**How do I split into rows?**

Wrap it in TRANSPOSE: `=TRANSPOSE(SPLIT(A2," - ",FALSE))`.

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/split-by-a-multi-character-delimiter-in-google-sheets