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T Function

Excel 2007+

Summary

Extracts text from a value, returning the text if present or an empty string for non-text values.

Syntax

T(value)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
value	`Any`	Yes	The input value to test for text content

Using the T Function

Use T to filter out non-text values in formulas or ensure text-only output in concatenations and data processing.

Common T Examples

Basic Text Extraction

=T(A2)

If A2 contains 'Rainfall', returns 'Rainfall'; if A2 contains 19, returns ""

Number Input

=T(19)

Returns empty string "" since 19 is numeric

Logical Value

=T(TRUE)

Returns empty string "" since TRUE is logical

Mixed Data Cleaning

=T(B1)&" | "&T(B2)

Combines text values safely, ignoring non-text inputs

Frequently Asked Questions

Empty string "" for any numeric value

Returns "" for dates since they are stored as numbers

No, T simply checks data type and returns text as-is

Primarily for compatibility or when mixing data types in text formulas

Common Errors and Solutions

#VALUE!

Cause: Invalid argument type

Solution: Ensure value parameter contains valid Excel value

Unexpected empty result

Cause: Input contains non-text data

Solution: Verify data types or use ISTEXT() first

Notes

Legacy function for spreadsheet compatibility
Automatically converts references
Faster than complex IF+ISTEXT combinations
Useful in array formulas with mixed data

Compatibility

Available in: Excel 2007+, Excel 2010+, Excel 2013+, Excel 2016+, Excel 2019+, Excel 2021, Excel 2024, Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for the web

Not available in:

Content last reviewed: December 11, 2025
Update frequency: As needed
Excel versions tested: Excel 2007+