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In Excel, you can use the RIGHT function to remove the first 3 characters from a string. This function takes two parameters: the string and the number of characters to remove from the beginning of the string. The syntax is RIGHT(string, number_of_characters_to_remove). For example, to remove the first 3 characters of the string ‘Excel123’, you would use the formula =RIGHT(“Excel123”, 3). The result of this formula would be ‘cel123’.
Often you may want to remove the first 3 characters from a string in Excel.
You can use the RIGHT function combined with the LEN function to do so:
=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-3)
This particular formula removes the first 3 characters from the string in cell A2.
The following example shows how to use this formula in practice.
Example: Remove First 3 Characters from String in Excel
Suppose we have the following list of basketball team names:
Suppose we would like to remove the first three characters from each team name.
We can type the following formula into cell B2 to do so:
=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-3)
We can then click and drag this formula down to each remaining cell in column B:
Column B now displays the team names in column A with the first three characters removed from each team name.
How This Formula Works
The RIGHT() function in Excel extracts a specific number of characters from the right side of a string.
The LEN() function in Excel is used to find the length of a string.
Thus, our formula displays the entire string with the first three characters removed.
Note: Blank spaces at the start of a string count as characters. You may need to first remove blank spaces to get your desired result.
Excel: A Formula for MID From Right
Excel: How to Use MID Function for Variable Length Strings
Cite this article
stats writer (2025). How do you remove the first 3 characters from a string in Excel?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-remove-the-first-3-characters-from-a-string-in-excel/
stats writer. "How do you remove the first 3 characters from a string in Excel?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 22 Nov. 2025, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-remove-the-first-3-characters-from-a-string-in-excel/.
stats writer. "How do you remove the first 3 characters from a string in Excel?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2025. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-remove-the-first-3-characters-from-a-string-in-excel/.
stats writer (2025) 'How do you remove the first 3 characters from a string in Excel?', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-remove-the-first-3-characters-from-a-string-in-excel/.
[1] stats writer, "How do you remove the first 3 characters from a string in Excel?," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, November, 2025.
stats writer. How do you remove the first 3 characters from a string in Excel?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2025;vol(issue):pages.
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