How to Use the CLEAN function to remove nonprintable characters
Sometimes, one of the disadvantages of importing data from other applications or sometimes when you copy and paste from the interent is that some of the characters may not be printable. To remove this characters automatically, we can use the CLEAN Function to achieve this task. Here is how we’ll apply the function.
How to use the CLEAN Function in Excel
- Enter your data in Column A starting at cell A2 that contains the nonprintable characters.
- Select cell A2 and enter the following formula: =CLEAN(A2).
- Use the fill handle to copy the formula down as is necessary
This function will clean up your text and will either remove the nonprintable characters or replace them with printable characters. This tip should work in Excel 97, 2000, 2003 and 2007.
