How to Use MID Function in Excel (5 Ideal Examples)

The MID function extracts a specified number of characters from a cell with a customizable starting point. In this article, we will demonstrate 5 practical examples of how to use it in Excel.

Excel MID Function (Quick View)

Introduction to the MID Function

Summary:

• Returns a specific number of characters from the middle of a string, given a specific starting position.
• Works for both arrays and non-arrays.
• Available from Excel 2003.

Syntax:

Arguments:

Note:

• The first argument text can be any text value, number, or array of text values or numbers. But regardless of whether it is a text value or a number, the return value will always be a text value.
• The next two arguments start_num and num_chars can be any number or an array of numbers.
• If you use an array argument, the formula will be an Array Formula and you have to press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to apply it unless you’re using Office365 version.

Return Value:

Returns a text value consisting of a specific number of characters starting from a specific position of a string.

Special Notes:

• If the start_num argument is greater than the total number of characters of a string, the MID function will return an empty string.

For example, the formula MID(“Apple”,7,3) will return an empty string because the start_num, 7, is greater than the total length of the text “Apple”, 5.

• If the total number of characters of the string starting from the start_num position is less than the argument num_chars, the MID function will return all the characters on the left of the start_num position.

For example, in the formula MID(“Apple”,3,7), the total number of characters starting from the start_num position 3 is 3 (“ple”), which is less than the num_chars  argument, 7. So it will return only these 3 characters, “ple”.

How to Use the MID Function in Excel: 5 Examples

We used the Microsoft Excel 365 version for this article; however the methods should work in any version after Excel 2003.

Method 1 – Using MID Function to Extract First Name

Suppose we have the list of names as shown in the following image. We’ll extract the First Name by using the MID function.

Steps:

• Use the following formula in cell C5:

Cell B5 represents the first cell of the Name column.

• Press ENTER.

The MID function will return the First Name.

• Drag the Fill Handle down to get the remaining outputs.

Method 2 – Using MID function to Extract the Middle Name

Now we will use the MID function to extract the Middle Name from the list of names.

Steps:

• Enter the formula given below in cell C5:

• Press ENTER.

• The Middle Name from cell B4 is returned.

• Use the AutoFill option to get the rest of the outputs.

Method 3 – Using MID Function to Extract the Last Name

Now we will extract the Last Name.

Consider the data set below:

In this dataset, we have the Employee IDs, Employee Names, and Email IDs of some employees.

Let’s extract the Last Names of all the employees.

• The formula in cell E5 will be:

Cell C5 indicates the first cell of the Employee Name column.

• Drag the Fill Handle down over the rest of the cells.

The last names of all the employees are returned.

Using this process, what would the formula be to extract whether the emails are from gmail.com or yahoo.com?

• Just replace the space (“ ”) in the previous formula with a “@”:

Note: These types of problems can also be solved using the RIGHT function.

Method 4 – Using MID Function to Extract Last n Digits from Some Numbers

This time we will perform a comparatively easier task. We will extract the last two digits from the Employee IDs of all the employees.

• The formula will be:

• Enter this formula in the first cell, E5, then double-click on the Fill Handle.

The last two digits of all the Employee IDs are extracted.

Method 5 – Using MID Function with Arrays

Up to now, we have used one string at a time and then dragged the Fill Handle for the rest of the strings. But we can use all the strings within the MID function simultaneously.

Let’s extract the Last Names of all the employees simultaneously. Instead of using one name at a time, we will use an array of all the names together.

• The formula will be:

The range C5:C20 refers to the cells in the Employee Name column.

Note: This is an Array Formula. So, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to enter it unless using Office365.

The Last Names of all the employees are returned simultaneously.

Common Errors with MID Function

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