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SUBSTITUTE Examples in Excel

Learn practical substitute examples in excel for cleaning text, extracting values and building spreadsheet labels.

Updated 2026-06-125 practical examplesCopy-ready

What it does

SUBSTITUTE replaces specific text inside a cell.

Syntax or pattern

=SUBSTITUTE(text, old_text, new_text, [instance_num])
✅

5 practical examples

1

Remove dashes from codes

Turn product codes into plain text.

=SUBSTITUTE(A2,"-","")

Useful before matching IDs.

2

Replace old labels

Change “Pending” to “Open”.

=SUBSTITUTE(A2,"Pending","Open")

Works on exact text fragments.

3

Remove spaces

Delete all spaces from a code.

=SUBSTITUTE(A2," ","")

Different from TRIM, which keeps single spaces.

4

Replace only first instance

Replace the first slash only.

=SUBSTITUTE(A2,"/","-",1)

The final argument controls which instance is replaced.

5

Normalize phone numbers

Remove common punctuation.

=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"-",""),"(",""),")","")

Nested SUBSTITUTE can clean simple patterns.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Not handling missing delimiters.
  • Forgetting that some text functions return text, not numbers.
  • Using fixed positions when the text layout is not consistent.

Related Excel examples

LEFT, RIGHT and MID Examples in ExcelLEN Examples in ExcelTRIM and CLEAN Examples in Excel📊 All Excel examples

FAQ

Can text formulas work with Excel Tables?

Yes. Table references can make text-cleaning formulas easier to understand.

💡 Useful resources

Here are some ideas for you

Optional resources that may help if you are learning formulas, building reports, or working in spreadsheets often.

  • 📘
    Excel formula books

    Practice formulas with structured examples you can keep beside your desk.

    See ideas
  • ⌨️
    Excel shortcut guides

    Build speed with keyboard shortcuts for selection, formatting and navigation.

    See ideas
  • 🔢
    Numeric keypads

    Helpful if you enter many numbers on a laptop or compact keyboard.

    See ideas
  • 🖥️
    External monitors

    Useful for viewing large worksheets, formulas and reference tables side by side.

    See ideas
  • 📒
    Desk notebooks

    Sketch formula logic, report ideas and table structures before building.

    See ideas
  • 💻
    Laptop stands

    Make long spreadsheet sessions more comfortable and ergonomic.

    See ideas

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