Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Trimming Spaces from Strings.

Trimming Spaces from Strings

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 24, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021


8

It is often necessary to trim spaces off of strings when programming macros. For instance, let's say you used the InputBox function to get some user input. The function returns a string, but you find out that the user hit the space bar a few times before typing a response. Thus, you end up with a string such as " My String," complete with leading spaces.

Fortunately, VBA provides several different functions to remove spaces from a string. The following are the three functions you could use:

MyVar = LTrim(MyVar)
MyVar = RTrim(MyVar)
MyVar = Trim(MyVar)

The first example ends up trimming all the spaces from the left end of the string, the second removes them from the right end, and the third removes them from both ends. You can use the function that you feel best fits your programming needs.

You should be aware that the VBA Trim function produces different results from the TRIM worksheet function. The TRIM function removes not only leading and trailing spaces, but also any extra spaces within the string itself. If you want to use the TRIM function in your macro, you can do so in this way:

MyVar = Application.TRIM(MyVar)

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12593) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Trimming Spaces from Strings.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Moving Table Rows Quickly

One of the most esoteric shortcuts available in Word is one that allows you to move table rows, either within a table or ...

Discover More

Preparing Data for Import into Access

When importing Excel information into Access, you need to be concerned with the condition of the data. Here's how to make ...

Discover More

Turning Off Display of Zeros for All Worksheets

Some people like zero values displayed; others do not. Excel allows you to easily turn the display on or off for a single ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Checking the Scope of a Defined Name

When creating a macro to work with the names of defined ranges, you may need to know whether the scope of the name is for ...

Discover More

Friendly and Informative Error Handling

When creating macros, it is helpful to know what is going on within the macro itself in case an error crops up. Here's ...

Discover More

Selecting a Cell in the Current Row

Macros often need to select different cells in a worksheet. Here's how you can use macro commands to change which cell is ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five more than 8?

2024-03-06 15:43:50

J. Woolley

My Excel Toolbox now includes the TextSpaceChars macro to convert all UNICODE space characters (see Figure 1 below) into standard ASCII space without disturbing the format of individual characters. This macro applies to text constants within the current Selection. Undo (Ctrl+Z) is supported.
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox/

Figure 1. 


2024-03-03 11:04:51

J. Woolley

@sandeep kothari
If you use Alex Blakenburg's code:
    arr = Selection.Value
    arr = Application.Substitute(arr, ChrW(160), "")
    Selection.Value = arr
Make sure Selection does not include any formula cells because formulas will be replaced with constants (similar to Paste Values).


2024-03-03 09:04:08

sandeep kothari

Thanks a lot for the valuable guidance, Woolley & Alex. These have made my day.


2024-03-03 00:03:16

Alex Blakenburg

@sandeep kothari, in terms of VBA.
Working directly with a range:-
Selection.Replace what:=ChrW(160), replacement:=""
If you are putting the range into an array for further processing then:-
Dim arr As Variant

arr = Selection.Value
arr = Application.Substitute(arr, ChrW(160), "")
Selection.Value = arr


2024-03-02 12:51:43

J. Woolley

@sandeep kothari
If cell A1 contains non-breaking space characters, try this:
=TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A1,UNICHAR(160),CHAR(32)))
Repeat SUBSTITUTE(...) for any additional non-standard space characters like UNICHAR(8199) or UNICHAR(HEX2DEC("2007")).
See https://unicode-explorer.com/articles/space-characters
If A1 is replaced by a range array like A1:A9, a dynamic array is returned by Excel 2021+.


2024-03-02 04:16:42

sandeep kothari

Nice codes, Allen, Woolley & Alex. What is the code to delete other spaces, like CHAR 32, 160, etc?


2024-03-01 10:37:32

J. Woolley

My Excel Toolbox includes the following functions useful in cell formulas:
    =TrimHead(Text, [NumChars])
    =TrimTail(Text, [NumChars])
TrimHead trims leading characters from Text and returns the result. If optional NumChars < 1 (default), all leading space characters are trimmed; otherwise, NumChars leading characters are trimmed.
TrimTail is analogous except it trims trailing characters.
Here are abbreviated versions:

Function TrimHead(Text As String, Optional NumChars As Integer) As String
    If NumChars < 1 Then
        TrimHead = LTrim(Text)
    Else
        TrimHead = Mid(Text, (NumChars + 1))
    End If
End Function

Function TrimTail(Text As String, Optional NumChars As Integer) As String
    If NumChars < 1 Then
        TrimTail = RTrim(Text)
    Else
        Dim n As Integer
        n = Len(Text) - NumChars
        If n > 0 Then TrimTail = Left(Text, n) 'else return null default
    End If
End Function

My Excel Toolbox also includes the TextTrim macro to remove ALL extra spaces (begin, middle, end; like TRIM) from text constants in Selection without disturbing the format of individual characters. Here is an abbreviated version:

Sub TextTrim()
    Dim rText As Range, rCell As Range
    Dim sText As String, sTrim As String, nTrim As Integer, n As Integer
    On Error Resume Next
        'Intersect is necessary in case Selection.Cells.Count = 1
        Set rText = Intersect(Selection, _
            Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeConstants, xlTextValues))
    On Error GoTo 0
    If rText Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "There are no text constants in Selection", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    Else
        rText.Select
        rText.Cells(1).Show
    End If
    For Each rCell In rText
        sText = rCell.Value
        sTrim = Application.WorksheetFunction.Trim(sText)
        nTrim = 1
        For n = 1 To Len(sText)
            If Mid(sText, n, 1) = Mid(sTrim, nTrim, 1) Then
                nTrim = nTrim + 1
            Else
                rCell.Characters(nTrim, 1).Delete
            End If
        Next n
    Next rCell
End Sub

The unabbreviated version of TextTrim supports Undo (Ctrl+Z).
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox


2024-02-24 05:45:09

Alex Blakenburg

One of the things I love about Application.Trim is that it can take a range or an array as the argument, so you don't need to loop through the Range or Array eg
ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Value = Application.Trim(ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Value)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.