How to☝️ Use the Google Sheets SPLIT Function

To use the Google Sheets SPLIT function, select a blank cell, go to the Formula bar, enter the formula =SPLIT(A1,” “), and press Enter.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial that will guide you through the process of using the SPLIT function in Google Sheets and all the details related to it. Scroll down to find out more!

How to Quickly Use the SPLIT Function in Google Sheets

Check out the methods of using this function and pick the one that works best for you.

Difficulty: Beginner

Time Estimate: 5 seconds

  1. Click on the cell where you need to get the result.
  2. Navigate to the Formula bar and enter the formula =SPLIT(A1,” “), where A1 is the cell with your text that you want to split.

How to Quickly Use the SPLIT Function in Google Sheets

  1. Hit the Enter key on your keyboard.

If you have a set of data rather than a single cell, you can take the next step to apply the function to all cells:

  1. Drag the cell with the result downward from the icon in the bottom right of the cell to copy the formula into the remaining cells.

Drag the cell with the result downward

Voila! And here is the result.

Drilling Down into the SPLIT Function

Description

The SPLIT function is a built-in function in Google Sheets that allows you to split a single cell or string of text into multiple cells based on a delimiter (such as a space or a comma).

For example, if you have a list of names in one cell and you want to split them into separate cells, you can use the SPLIT function. Let’s take a look at the screenshot below:

The SPLIT Function

Purpose

Google Sheets’ SPLIT function lets you split a cell or string by a character. This can be useful when dealing with large amounts of text data that need to be parsed in some way.

Syntax

=SPLIT(text, delimiter, [split_by_each], [remove_empty_text])

Arguments

  • text is the text you need to split.
  • delimiter is the character that will separate your text values (such as a space or a comma). 
  • split_by_each is a TRUE element that is not mandatory in the formula, but it helps to determine whether it is necessary to split the text.
  • remove_empty_text is an optional TRUE element in the formula which determines whether empty text values need to be avoided.

Return Value

You will get text values that are split into separate cells when using this function.

Usage Notes

  1. When entering text values into the formula, do not forget to put the quotation marks; otherwise, the function will not work.
  2. The SPLIT Function with Text ValuesCharacters that are near the text value will be omitted.

The SPLIT Function with Omitted Characters

Examples

  1. Using the formula that we used below, you can separate the words in the cell.

=SPLIT(A1,” “) // Output: James Davis

SPLIT Function

  1. As a second example, we will consider the following formula:

=SPLIT(A1,”, “, TRUE, FALSE) // Output: James Davis

The SPLIT Function with TRUE, FALSE Values

  1. Here is a formula for separating individual values of text:

=SPLIT(“A, B, C, D, E, F”, “, “) // Output: A B C D E F 

The SPLIT Function with Individual Values of Text

SPLIT Function in Google Sheets FAQs

Visit our FAQ section to learn more!

How do I split numbers in Google Sheets?

To split numbers in Google Sheets, select the cell where you need to get the result, move to the Formula bar, and type the formula =SPLIT(“12, 13.5, 14, 15.7, 18, 19.5”, “, “), using your own values. Finally, hit Enter

How do I split numbers in Google Sheets

How do I extract the N-th word in a sentence in Google sheets?

To extract the N-th word in a sentence in Google Sheets, first click on a blank cell where you want the result. Then, in the Formula bar, enter the formula =INDEX(SPLIT(A1,” “),1,6), where A1 is the cell with your sentence, and 6 is the word you need to extract. Next, press Enter

How do I extract the N-th word in a sentence in Google sheets

And here is the result!

INDEX Function

How do I split a cell into multiple rows vertically with the formula in Google Sheets? 

To split a cell into multiple rows vertically with the formula in Google Sheets, start by selecting a blank cell, go to the Formula bar, and enter the formula (=TRANSPOSE(SPLIT(A1,”,”))).  Here, A1 is the cell with your text. Finally, press the Enter key on your keyboard. 

How do I split a cell into multiple rows vertically with the formula in Google Sheets

Congratulations! You have done it!

TRANSPOSE Function

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Daniel Smith
Daniel Smith
Daniel Smith is automation consultant with a passion for technology, data, AI, and machine learning.