Excel functions / Text
Text function · Excel
TEXTSPLIT function
TEXTSPLIT breaks text into separate cells at a delimiter, across columns, rows or both. Google Sheets covers the common case with SPLIT.
Syntax
=TEXTSPLIT(text, col_delimiter, [row_delimiter], [ignore_empty], [match_mode], [pad_with])On Google Sheets: use SPLIT. SPLIT covers column splits. Row delimiters need a different approach.
Arguments
| Argument | Required | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| text | Yes | The text to split. |
| col_delimiter | Yes | The character that starts a new column. |
| row_delimiter | No | The character that starts a new row. |
| ignore_empty | No | TRUE skips empty parts. |
| match_mode | No | 1 ignores case. |
| pad_with | No | Fills gaps in the result. |
Worked example
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Full name |
| 2 | Amira Haddad |
=TEXTSPLIT(A2," ")Result: Amira | Haddad
The space marks the column break, so the first and last names land in two cells.
Try it
The practice engine does not include TEXTSPLIT, so this example is shown as text.
Availability
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| Excel | Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel for the web. |
| Google Sheets | Not available. Use SPLIT. |
Common mistakes
- Occupied cells to the right cause #SPILL!.
- Double spaces produce an empty cell unless ignore_empty is TRUE.
Do it with AI
Paste this prompt into Copilot, Gemini or another assistant. Check the result on a small sample first.
Split the name in A2 into first and last name. Give an Excel version with TEXTSPLIT and a Sheets version with SPLIT.