RIGHT Function (LibreOffice Calc)
The RIGHT function in LibreOffice Calc extracts a specified number of characters from the end (right side) of a text string. It is essential for parsing suffixes, codes, file extensions, and structured text.
Compatibility
▾| Excel | ✔ |
| Gnumeric | ✔ |
| Google_sheets | ✔ |
| Libreoffice | ✔ |
| Numbers | ✔ |
| Onlyoffice | ✔ |
| Openoffice | ✔ |
| Wps | ✔ |
| Zoho | ✔ |
What the RIGHT Function Does ▾
- Extracts characters from the right side of a string
- Works with text, numbers (converted to text), and formulas
- Useful for parsing suffixes, extensions, and trailing codes
- Supports optional length argument
It is designed to be simple, predictable, and widely compatible.
Syntax ▾
RIGHT(text; [num_chars])
Arguments
-
text:
The text string to extract from. -
num_chars: (optional)
Number of characters to extract.
Defaults to 1 if omitted.
Basic Examples ▾
Extract the last character
=RIGHT("Hello")
Returns "o".
Extract the last 3 characters
=RIGHT("Hello"; 3)
Returns "llo".
Extract from a cell
=RIGHT(A1; 2)
Extract from a number (converted to text)
=RIGHT(2024; 2)
Returns "24".
Advanced Examples ▾
Extract a file extension
=RIGHT(A1; LEN(A1) - FIND("."; A1))
Extract the last word (with FIND/SEARCH)
=RIGHT(A1; LEN(A1) - FIND("☼"; SUBSTITUTE(A1; " "; "☼"; LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1;" ";"")))))
(Extracts text after the last space.)
Extract suffix from a code
=RIGHT(A1; 3)
Extract variable-length suffix after a delimiter
=RIGHT(A1; LEN(A1) - FIND("-"; A1))
Extract last N characters dynamically
=RIGHT(A1; B1)
Where B1 contains the number of characters.
Extract trailing digits from mixed text
=RIGHT(A1; LEN(A1) - MATCH(TRUE; ISERROR(VALUE(MID(A1; ROW(INDIRECT("1:" & LEN(A1))); 1))); 0) + 1)
(Advanced pattern for parsing numeric suffixes.)
Use RIGHT with TRIM to clean data
=RIGHT(TRIM(A1); 4)
Edge Cases and Behavior Details ▾
num_chars omitted → defaults to 1
=RIGHT("ABC") → "C"
num_chars larger than text length
=RIGHT("ABC"; 10) → "ABC"
num_chars = 0
=RIGHT("ABC"; 0) → ""
num_chars negative → Err:502
=RIGHT("ABC"; -1)
text is a number → converted to text
=RIGHT(12345; 2) → "45"
text is empty
=RIGHT(""); 3 → ""
text is an error → error propagates
=RIGHT(#N/A; 2) → #N/A
text is a formula returning ""
=RIGHT(A1; 3)
Returns "" if A1 is empty-string.
Common Errors and Fixes ▾
Err:502 — Invalid argument
Occurs when:
- num_chars is negative
- num_chars is non-numeric
- text is missing
RIGHT returns unexpected characters
Cause:
- Trailing spaces
- Hidden characters
- Unicode combining marks
Fix:
Use TRIM(A1) or CLEAN(A1).
RIGHT returns fewer characters than expected
Cause:
- Text shorter than expected
- Hidden formatting
Best Practices ▾
- Use RIGHT for suffix extraction and structured text parsing
- Combine with FIND/SEARCH for delimiter‑based extraction
- Use TRIM to clean input before slicing
- Use LEN to validate expected lengths
- Use RIGHT with MID/LEFT for full string decomposition
Related Patterns and Alternatives ▾
- Use LEFT to extract from the beginning
- Use MID for middle extraction
- Use FIND or SEARCH to locate delimiters
- Use LEN to measure text length
- Use TEXT to format numbers before slicing
By mastering RIGHT and its companion functions, you can build clean, powerful, and flexible text‑processing workflows in LibreOffice Calc.