How to use TRIM in Excel
Removes extra spaces.
Syntax
textText or a cellExample
Here’s TRIM on a small table of orders. The highlighted cells are the ones the formula reads.
=TRIM(" Maya ")Edit this formula live Change the ranges and watch the answer update. Free, no sign-up.
Common mistakes with TRIM
It doesn’t remove non-breaking spaces
Text pasted from the web often contains CHAR(160). Use SUBSTITUTE(A2,CHAR(160)," ") first.
It keeps single spaces between words
TRIM removes leading, trailing and doubled spaces only.
What the error messages mean
Type these slips into Gridwise and this is the feedback you get:
Leaving off the closing bracket
=TRIM(" Maya "
Parentheses don’t match. You have 1 opening and 0 closing parentheses. Every ( needs a ).
Questions
What does the TRIM function do in Excel?
Removes extra spaces. The syntax is TRIM(text).
Why is my TRIM formula giving the wrong answer?
It doesn’t remove non-breaking spaces: Text pasted from the web often contains CHAR(160). Use SUBSTITUTE(A2,CHAR(160)," ") first. It keeps single spaces between words: TRIM removes leading, trailing and doubled spaces only.
Does TRIM work in Google Sheets?
Most Excel functions, including the core ones on this page, work the same way in Google Sheets. A few newer functions arrived in Sheets later or behave slightly differently, so test it on your own data.