Excel REPLACE Function

Summary
The Excel REPLACE function replaces characters specified by location in a given text string with another text string. For example =REPLACE("XYZ123",4,3,"456") returns "XYZ456".
Purpose
Replace text based on location
Return value
The altered text.
Syntax
=REPLACE (old_text, start_num, num_chars, new_text)
Arguments
- old_text - The text to replace.
- start_num - The starting location in the text to search.
- num_chars - The number of characters to replace.
- new_text - The text to replace old_text with.
Version
Usage notes
The REPLACE function is useful for replacing text at a known location in a given string. For example, the following formula replaces 3 characters starting at the 4th character:
=REPLACE("XYZ123",4,3,"456") // returns "XYZ456"
You can use REPLACE to remove text by specifying an empty string ("") as new text. The formula below uses REPLACE to remove the first character from the string "XYZ":
=REPLACE("XYZ",1,1,"") // returns "YZ"
Excel has several functions that can be used to replace text. Below is a brief summary. Also see examples below.
- Use the REPLACE function when you want to replace text based on a known location.
- Use FIND or SEARCH to find and replace text when the location is not known in advance.
- Use SUBSTITUTE to replace one or more instances of text based on content only.
Download 200+ Excel Shortcuts
Get over 200 Excel shortcuts for Windows and Mac in one handy PDF.