Extract Text from Google Sheets: A Step-by-Step Guide

Google Sheets Extract Text from String

To extract text from a string in Google Sheets, you can use built-in functions like LEFT, RIGHT, and MID. These functions allow you to extract text from the beginning, end, or middle of a cell's content based on a specified number of characters.

• To extract text from the beginning of a cell, use the LEFT function:
  '=LEFT(cell, number_of_characters)'
• To extract text from the end of a cell, use the RIGHT function:
  '=RIGHT(cell, number_of_characters)'
• To extract text from the middle of a cell, use the MID function:
  '=MID(cell, start_position, number_of_characters)'

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Google Sheets REGEX Extract

For more complex text extraction, Google Sheets supports regular expressions with the REGEXEXTRACT function. This function allows you to specify a pattern and extract matching parts of a string.

To use REGEXEXTRACT:
'=REGEXEXTRACT(text, regular_expression)'

This function is particularly useful for extracting text that follows a specific pattern within a string.

Google Sheets Extract Text Between Two Characters

To extract text between two specific characters or strings, you can combine the REGEXEXTRACT function with a suitable regular expression.

For example, to extract text between parentheses:
'=REGEXEXTRACT(A1, "\((.*?)\)")'

This formula looks for text enclosed in parentheses and extracts it. Adjust the regular expression to fit the characters or strings you're targeting.

How to Extract Data from Google Sheets

Beyond text extraction, you can extract various types of data from Google Sheets using different methods:

• Use ArrayFormula with text functions to extract data across multiple cells.
• Employ REGEX functions for pattern-based extraction.
• Utilize Google Sheets Add-ons like Power Tools for advanced data extraction tasks, including extracting URLs, email addresses, and more.
• For extracting data from smart chips, use the Data Extraction feature by right-clicking on a cell with a smart chip or using the Data menu.

These methods cover a wide range of data extraction needs, from simple text manipulation to handling complex patterns and extracting specific data types.

Discover how to take your Google Sheets to the next level with add-ons and automation in our latest blog posts on Google Sheets Add-ons, Google Sheet Automations, and explore more Google Sheets Automations.

While Google Sheets offers powerful built-in functions for text extraction, there's always room for automation to streamline repetitive tasks, especially when dealing with large datasets or needing to integrate data from various sources. Bardeen takes this automation to the next level by allowing users to automate not just text extraction but also the integration of this extracted data with other tools and platforms.

Here are some examples of what you can achieve with Bardeen's playbooks:

1. Extract Emails from Google Search Results to Google Sheets: Perfect for lead generation, this playbook automates the process of extracting emails from Google search results and saving them directly into a Google Sheet.
2. Get text from an image in Google Drive: This playbook extracts text from images stored in Google Drive, ideal for digitizing handwritten notes or scanned documents.
3. Copy Google News for a keyword and save results to Google Sheets: Stay updated with the latest news on specific topics by automatically extracting Google News results based on your keywords and saving them to Google Sheets.

These examples only scratch the surface of what's possible with Bardeen. Automating tasks in Google Sheets not only saves time but also opens up new possibilities for data analysis and integration. Get started by downloading the Bardeen app at Bardeen.ai/download