Use Excel's Left, Mid & Right Functions to extract text

[kevinfgao]

Hi,

I was trying out the midfunction, and it doesn't seem to work for a social that starts with 0. For example, 012-34-5678. When I key in the formula =mid(A1, 4, 2), it give me 45 instead of 34. Please advise. Thanks.

[DannyRocksExcels]

@kevinfgao

The "key" here is to understand the difference between what is "stored" by Excel and what Excel "displays" in the cell.

How have you "formatted" this Social Security Number? There are two possibilities:

1) Preferred Method is to "type" in 012345678 and then format the cell using the Special SS Formatting on the Numbers tab. In this case, your formula will produce 34.

2) Not recommended - Tying in the "Dashes" - e.g. 012-34-5678.Now, the 4th character is the "Dash."

[tirathmistry]

awesome tutorial your explanation is so superb.