Excel Study · Module 2: Entering & formatting data
Class 14Flash Fill (Ctrl+E)
Basics1:31 videoFree
Type ONE example of what you want — a first name next to the full name — and press Ctrl+E (Control+E on a Mac, or Data → Flash Fill). Excel spots the pattern and fills the whole column. Flash Fill arrived in Excel 2013.
Try this AI prompt
Works in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or Claude.
In Excel, A2 has a full name like Anita Sharma. Write a formula for D2 that returns only the first name.
The answer that works
✓ checked in Excel=TRIM(LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1))AI can get Excel wrong. Paste its answer into Excel and test it before you trust it.