MID

Also applies to:

MIDB

MID returns a specific number of characters from a text string, starting at the position you specify, based on the number of characters you specify.

MIDB returns a specific number of characters from a text string, starting at the position you specify, based on the number of bytes you specify. This function is for use with double-byte characters.

Syntax

MID(text,start_num,num_chars)

MIDB(text,start_num,num_bytes)

Text is the text string containing the characters you want to extract.

Start_num is the position of the first character you want to extract in text. The first character in text has start_num 1, and so on.

Num_chars specifies the number of characters you want MID to return from text.

Num_bytes specifies the number of characters you want MIDB to return from text, in bytes.

Remarks

If start_num is greater than the length of text, MID returns "" (empty text).
If start_num is less than the length of text, but start_num plus num_chars exceeds the length of text, MID returns the characters up to the end of text.
If start_num is less than 1, MID returns the #VALUE! error value.
If num_chars is negative, MID returns the #VALUE! error value.
If num_bytes is negative, MIDB returns the #VALUE! error value.

Example (MID)

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

How?

Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

Selecting an example from Help
Press CTRL+C.
In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.

1

2

A
Data
Fluid Flow
Formula	Description (Result)
=MID(A2,1,5)	Five characters from the string above, starting at the first character (Fluid)
=MID(A2,7,20)	Twenty characters from the string above, starting at the seventh (Flow)
=MID(A2,20,5)	Because the starting point is greater than the length of the string, empty text is returned ()

Example (MIDB)

=MIDB(" ",1,6) equals " Tokyo to Shibuya "