The TRIM function in Excel is one of the most powerful and efficient tools for cleaning and transforming data. It can help streamline data processing, allowing users to quickly prepare data for analysis. The TRIM function removes leading and trailing spaces from cells containing text. It can be used to clean up data imported from external sources or to fix data irregularities caused by manual entry. In addition, using the TRIM function is often easier than using other methods to process data. This blog post will explore how to use the TRIM function in Excel and provide tips on when and how to use it most effectively.
Using the Trim Function in Excel
When to use the TRIM function in Excel
The Excel TRIM function’s ability to organize text you import from another source into your worksheet is one of its most useful applications. When you manually enter data, you can avoid sloppy spacing that could detract from the visual appeal of your worksheet. However, it may be more effective to import data and use the TRIM function. This Excel function is necessary for managing data from various sources that researchers and many other professionals in finance use for analysis. If extra spaces are present in external sources, removing them will improve readability.
Extra spaces in a worksheet’s cell text can lead to mistakes, such as affecting the accuracy of other functions and reporting errors when there aren’t any. For instance, if you use the SUM function to add numbers in cells but the result is zero, it’s possible that the SUM function is being negatively impacted by the irregular spacing in the cells.
What is the TRIM function in Excel?
The Excel text function TRIM eliminates skewed spacing from the text in a worksheet. This feature aids in organizing the text in an Excel worksheet’s cells. The TRIM function only leaves single spaces between words when used to remove all other spaces. Non-breaking space characters (nbsp) may occasionally appear in text; however, the TRIM function cannot remove these spaces from HTML code. However, you can organize and modify data that you import into Excel using the TRIM function.
How to use the TRIM function in Excel
To use Excel’s TRIM function, take the following actions:
1. Open the Excel application
Using a desktop or online version of Microsoft Office and the Excel application affects how you open them. You can probably find the application on your desktop or by searching the list of applications on your computer if you have a subscription to Microsoft Office through your place of employment, place of education, or personal use. You can still use a free online version of Microsoft Office even if you don’t have a subscription. Visit the Microsoft Offices website and type “Excel” into the search bar to find this version.
2. Select a blank worksheet
Excel’s start page gives you the choice of opening previous work, choosing a template, or selecting a blank worksheet. To test the TRIM function in a blank worksheet before using it on worksheets with data in them, click on the icon for the blank worksheet. This option’s click launches a new page with Excel’s workstation on it.
3. Type in cell A1
The A1 cell will display a cursor when you double-click it. This allows you to add text to the cell. To keep the text in the cell, type a word or phrase there and hit “Enter.” For the purpose of better understanding how the TRIM function works, it is helpful to add more spaces on either side of the word. After that, you can double-click the B1 cell by using the arrow keys or your mouse.
4. Click the “fx” button
Find the “fx” button after double-clicking the B1 cell to highlight it. It is located in the toolbar’s “Font” section, between the toolbar and worksheet. This button calls up a window with the “Insert function” options when clicked.
5. Select “Text” from the “fx” drop-down menu
There are one or two ways to locate the “Text” option in the “Insert functions” window. To begin, enter “Text” in the “Search for a function” field. Click “Go” to launch your search after entering your search terms in the search bar. By calling up the drop-down menu from the “Select a category” option, you can also access the “Text” option. The “Text” selection is located halfway down the drop-down menu there.
6. Choose the “TRIM” option
New functions can be added to the box within the “Insert functions” window by clicking on or otherwise calling up the “Text” options. Among these functions, you can find the “TRIM” option. After you click on “TRIM” select “OK. ” This summons the “Function arguments” window to appear.
7. Select cell A1
Once the “Function arguments” window appears, click on cell A1. This causes the B1 cell to contain the formula =TRIM(A1) Once “A1” appears in the text box and an “=[the test you entered for A1]” appears, click “OK” in the “Function arguments” window. The text from A1 can appear in cell B1 without any additional spaces once you click “OK.”
Using the TRIM function for numerical data
While the aforementioned steps can help you eliminate extra space in text-based data, they don’t work as well for numerical data. This is due to the fact that if you use the standard TRIM tool with numerical data, the set no longer behaves like numbers. For instance, you wouldn’t be able to find the data’s overall value using the SUM tool. When attempting to remove spaces from numerical sets of data, keep in mind the following formula to preserve the behavior of your numerical data and prepare it for other functions you may use:
=VALUE (TRIM) (A2))
How to highlight cells with extra spaces
You might find it helpful to highlight the cells with extra spacing if you’re working with case-sensitive data or aren’t sure whether you want to use the TRIM function to automatically remove all spacing. You can do this to review the cells without having to carefully examine the entire set of data. To do this, follow these steps:
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FAQ
Why do we use TRIM?
Select TRIM from the Text dropdown menu under the Functions group on the Formulas tab. Click on the cell containing the text you want to remove spaces from after the dialog box appears to complete the operation. Click OK.
What is TRIM spreadsheet?
TRIM will remove extra spaces from the text. As a result, it will only leave single spaces between words and none at the beginning or end of the text. The TRIM function only removes the ASCII space character (32) from the text because it was designed to trim the text’s 7-bit ASCII space character.
