Change a prefix
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Phone |
| 2 | 555-0100 |
Formula: C2: =REPLACE(A2,1,3,"800")
Result: 800-0100
The first three characters are replaced by 800.
Google Sheets function
REPLACE in Google Sheets
REPLACE with worked examples you can test in the live grid. The argument details are in the Excel guide.
In Google Sheets
The arguments and common errors are covered in the REPLACE Excel guide; check the function help in Google Sheets for its own argument list.
Worked examples in Google Sheets
Insert without deleting
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | ID |
| 2 | AB1234 |
Formula: C2: =REPLACE(A2,3,0,"-")
Result: AB-1234
With num_chars at 0 nothing is removed, so the hyphen is inserted before position 3.
Replace the last four characters
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Label |
| 2 | Report 2024 |
Formula: C2: =REPLACE(A2,LEN(A2)-3,4,"2025")
Result: Report 2025
LEN(A2)-3 is the start of the year no matter how long the label is.
Try it
A tiny spreadsheet with example data. Edit the formula or any number and see the result.
Formula in D2: =REPLACE(A5,1,3,"ID")
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Other | Result | |
| 2 | Alice Johnson | alice johnson | ID-2026-0415 | |
| 3 | [email protected] | [email protected] | ||
| 4 | extra spaces | |||
| 5 | SKU-2026-0415 | |||
| 6 | iced coffee, tea, sugar | |||
| 7 | Order 417 shipped |
Result in D2: ID-2026-0415
Google Sheets is used here only as a descriptive product name. FormulaCamp is not affiliated with Google.