Syntax
RIGHT(text, [num_chars])
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| text | Parameter of the RIGHT function. |
| [num_chars] | (Optional.) Parameter of the RIGHT function. |
Examples
Extract file extension
Formula
=RIGHT(A2, 3)
Returns: "pdf" — the last 3 characters from "report.pdf"
Get last 4 digits of a phone number
Formula
=RIGHT(A2, 4)
Returns: "1234" — from "212-555-1234"
Extract domain extension
Formula
=RIGHT(A2, LEN(A2)-FIND(".", A2))
Returns: "com" — extracts everything after the dot in "example.com"
Common Errors
#VALUE!
The num_chars argument is negative. It must be zero or positive.
#VALUE!
The cell contains a number, not text. Use TEXT() to convert first: =RIGHT(TEXT(A1, "0000"), 2).
Tips
Extract last name
=RIGHT(A1, LEN(A1)-FIND(" ", A1)) gets everything after the first space in "John Smith".
Works with numbers as text
If a cell shows 00542, RIGHT(A1,3) returns "542". Make sure the cell is formatted as text to preserve leading zeros.
Last N characters
=RIGHT(A1, 1) gives just the last character — useful for checking suffixes or trailing characters.
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