Excel Formula to Remove Plus Symbol

Objective

To create an Excel formula that removes the plus (+) symbol from a text string.

Formula

The following formula can be used to remove the plus symbol from a specific cell (e.g., cell A1):

=SUBSTITUTE(A1, "+", "")

Explanation of the Formula

• SUBSTITUTE Function: This function replaces existing text in a string with new text.
  • Syntax: SUBSTITUTE(text, old_text, new_text, [instance_num])
    • text: The original text or reference to a cell containing the text.
    • old_text: The text that you want to replace (in this case, the + symbol).
    • new_text: The text to replace the old text with (in this case, an empty string "").
    • instance_num: This is optional. It specifies which occurrence of old_text to replace. If omitted, all occurrences of old_text are replaced.

In this formula, the SUBSTITUTE function replaces every occurrence of the + symbol in the text from cell A1 with an empty string, effectively removing it.

Practical Example

Suppose the content of cell A1 is:

+12345-6789

When you apply the formula in another cell (e.g., B1):

=SUBSTITUTE(A1, "+", "")

The result in cell B1 will be:

12345-6789

Summary

• Use the SUBSTITUTE function to remove specific characters from text.
• The provided formula effectively eliminates the + symbol from the text in the specified cell.
• This method is versatile and can be adapted to remove other unwanted characters by changing the old_text parameter in the formula.

For further mastery of Excel functions and data analysis techniques, consider engaging with the Enterprise DNA Platform for additional resources and training opportunities.