How can I eliminate leading and trailing spaces in Google Sheets cells?

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1

In my Google Sheets, input is being captured as a string via forms. It’s essential for me to ensure that there are no leading or trailing spaces in this string. I attempted to use a JavaScript command like the one below, but it didn’t yield the expected results:

inputString = inputString.replace(/(^\s+|\s+$)/g, '');

I would appreciate any assistance.

2

One effective way to handle this directly within Google Sheets is by using the TRIM function. The TRIM function is designed to remove any leading and trailing spaces from a cell. You simply apply it to the cell like this: =TRIM(A1) if your string is in cell A1. This doesn’t require any scripting and will ensure that the spaces are removed. You can drag the formula down if you need to apply it to a column of data. Just remember that the TRIM function will also condense multiple spaces between words to a single space.

3

Another strategy is to use Google Apps Script to automate this process, especially if your data is coming from Google Forms. You can write a small script that automatically runs when the form is submitted, trimming both leading and trailing spaces from the string fields. Here’s a simple example:

function onFormSubmit(e) {
  var sheet = e.range.getSheet();
  var rowData = sheet.getRange(e.range.getRow(), 1, 1, e.range.getLastColumn()).getValues()[0];
  for (var i = 0; i < rowData.length; i++) {
    rowData[i] = rowData[i].trim();
    sheet.getRange(e.range.getRow(), i+1).setValue(rowData[i]);
  }
}

This script will run every time a form submission occurs and will trim spaces for each entry. Make sure to configure the trigger correctly in the Apps Script editor.

4

Another approach is to use a combination of the SUBSTITUTE and ARRAYFORMULA functions if you are dealing with a larger dataset and want to ensure precision without using scripting. You can wrap the TRIM function inside ARRAYFORMULA to apply it across a range. For instance, =ARRAYFORMULA(TRIM(A1:A10)) will clean up all entries from A1 to A10 at once, automatically removing leading and trailing spaces from each cell in that range. This method can be useful for real-time data cleaning across large datasets without manually dragging the formula.

5

u could also use the QUERY function in sheets. this trick removes extra spaces too, like =QUERY(A1:F100, "select * where not A is null", 0)). Especially useful when ur dealing with larger data sets and want to clean up entries w no extra spaces!