The CHAR function with example in Excel

The CHAR function in Excel is used to return the character specified by a number. This can be particularly useful for inserting special characters into text based on their ASCII codes.

Syntax

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CHAR(number)

• number: A number from 1 to 255 specifying which character you want. The character is based on the character set used by your computer (which is often the ASCII character set in Windows).

Example

Suppose you want to insert the character corresponding to the ASCII code 65.

1. Basic Usage:
   • Formula: =CHAR(65)
   • Result: A
2. Combining with Text:
   • If you want to create a string that includes special characters:
   • Formula: ="Grade: " & CHAR(65)
   • Result: Grade: A
3. Using CHAR to Insert Line Breaks:
   • If you need to insert a line break in a text string (line breaks correspond to ASCII code 10):
   • Formula: ="Hello" & CHAR(10) & "World"
   • Result:

     Hello
     World
     

   • Note: For the line break to be visible, make sure that text wrapping is enabled in the cell (you can enable this by going to Home > Wrap Text in the ribbon).

Practical Example

Imagine you have a list of ASCII codes in column A (from A1 to A5) and you want to convert them to their respective characters in column B.

1. In cell A1, enter 65.
2. In cell A2, enter 66.
3. In cell A3, enter 67.
4. In cell A4, enter 68.
5. In cell A5, enter 69.

Now, in cell B1, you would enter the formula:

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=CHAR(A1)

Then, drag the fill handle from B1 to B5 to apply the formula to the other cells. The results will be:

• B1: A
• B2: B
• B3: C
• B4: D
• B5: E

This demonstrates how you can convert a series of ASCII codes to their corresponding characters using the CHAR function in Excel.