--- title: "Use the LEFT Function to Extract Characters from the Start of Text" slug: "left-function" description: "Learn to apply the LEFT function to extract a specific number of characters from the start of a text value in Pigment." updated: 2025-05-30T09:42:17Z published: 2025-08-22T10:57:28Z canonical: "kb.pigment.com/left-function" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.pigment.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # LEFT function ## ​​​Description Extracts a given number of characters from a Text, starting from the first character to the last. ## Syntax `LEFT(Text to Extract, Number of Characters)` ## Arguments | Argument | Type | Dimensions | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | *Text to Extract* (required) | Text | Any Dimensions | Text to extract characters from. | | *Number of Characters* (required) | Integer | No Dimension or Dimensions of *Text to Extract* | Number of characters to extract from the beginning of the text. | ## Returns | Type | Dimensions | | --- | --- | | Text | Dimensions of *Text to Extract* | Extracted characters from *Text to Extract*. `BLANK` if *Number of Characters* is a negative integer. ## Examples | Formula | Result | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `LEFT(“abc”, 5)` | “abc” | All characters are extracted from “abc”. | | `LEFT(“abcd”, 2)` | “ab” | Only the first two characters are extracted from “abcd”. | | `LEFT(“a”, -1)` | `BLANK` | The *Number of Characters*, -1, is invalid. | ## See also Excel: [LEFT](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/left-function-913824b4-fc42-4c8c-9229-0eaa57dcdf49) Related articles: [RIGHT](/v1/docs/right-function), [MID](/v1/docs/mid-function) > [!TIP] > More of a hands-on learner? > > Talk to your Customer Success Manager about downloading the Functions and Modifiers in Pigment Application into your workspace. It includes examples of every formula and modifier in Pigment!