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TRIM removes leading and trailing spaces and reduces multiple spaces between words to one. Essential after copying data from websites and ERPs.
Syntax
=TRIM(text)| Argument | What it means |
|---|---|
text |
Text to clean. |
Examples
Example 1
=TRIM(A2)” Asha Verma ” → “Asha Verma”.
Power combo
=TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A2, CHAR(160), " "))Also removes non-breaking spaces from web data, which TRIM alone leaves behind.
Common errors and fixes
| You see | Why, and the fix |
|---|---|
Lookup still fails after TRIM |
Non-breaking spaces (CHAR 160) or line breaks (CHAR 10) remain. Use the combo above and CLEAN. |
Related functions
CLEAN · SUBSTITUTE · LEN
📚 Part of the free Excel course: Beginner → Expert · Try it in the Formula Lab or ask the AI Helper.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📗Text-cleaning scenarios workbookExtract and clean text (GSTIN, PAN, emails, names) with PASS/FAIL checks, plus the 3 mistakes that break text formulas.⬇ XLSX · 8 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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