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How to insert the filename without extension into header, footer, or cell in Excel?

Author Kelly Last modified

Normally, an open workbook’s filename and extension are displayed at the top of the Excel window. But now I need to insert only filename without the extension at the header, footer, or a cell. How to solve it? In this article, I will introduce three solutions.


Use the Custom Header/Footer feature to insert filename without extension in Header/Footer

Microsoft Excel's "Custom Header" feature and "Custom Footer" feature can help you to insert filename without extension at header or footer easily. Before you do that, you should first hide file extensions in Windows. And then please follow the steps below:

1. Click the anchor at the bottom-right corner of "Page Setup" group on the "Page Layout "tab.
A screenshot showing the Page Setup group in the Page Layout tab in Excel

2. In the opening "Page Setup" dialog box, click "Custom Header" button or "Custom Footer" button on the "Header/Footer" tab. In our example, I click the "Custom Header" button.
A screenshot of the Page Setup dialog box with Custom Header and Footer options in Excel

3. Then in the "Header" dialog box, put cursor at the "Left section" / "Center section" / "Right section" as you need, next click the "Insert File Name" button, and click the "OK "button. See screenshot:
A screenshot of the Header dialog box in Excel with the Insert File Name button highlighted

4. Click the "OK "button in the "Page Setup" dialog box.

So far the filename without extension has been inserted at specified place of header/footer. But inserted filename may be invisible because current worksheet is not in "Page Layout" view.

5. Please shift current worksheet view to page layout view with clicking the "View" > "Page Layout". See screenshot:
A screenshot showing how to switch to Page Layout view in Excel

Note: Clicking the "Page Layout" view button in the Status bar will also shift to the "Page Layout" view.
A screenshot of the Page Layout view button in the Status bar in Excel


Use formula to insert filename without extension in cell

We can apply Excel formulas to insert filename without extension into a cell easily. Please do as follows:

Select a blank cell, and enter the following formula into it, and press the "Enter" key.

=TRIM(LEFT(SUBSTITUTE(MID(CELL("filename",A1),FIND("[",CELL("filename",A1))+1,255),".xl",REPT(" ",255)),255))
A screenshot showing a formula to extract the filename without extension into a cell in Excel

You can also apply this formula to insert file name without extension of the current workbook into a cell.

=MID(CELL("filename",A1),SEARCH("[",CELL("filename",A1))+1,SEARCH(".",CELL("filename",A1))-1-SEARCH("[",CELL("filename",A1)))

Note: If you have never saved current workbook before, both above formulas will return errors.

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Use Kutools for Excel to insert filename without extension in Header/Footer

If you have Kutools for Excel’s installed, you can apply its "Insert Workbook Information" utility to insert worksheet name, workbook name, workbook path, user name, or current date and time into a cell, header, or footer easily.

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1. Click the "Kutools Plus" > "Workbook" > "Insert Workbook Information" to open the "Insert Workbook information" dialog box.
A screenshot of the Insert Workbook Information option in the Excel ribbon and its dialog box

2. In the "Insert Workbook Information" dialog box, please do as follows (see screenshot above):
(1) In the "Information "section, check the "Workbook name" option;
(2) In the "Insert at" section, please check the "Header" / "Footer" option as you need;
(3) If you have checked "Header" option or "Footer" option, please click the right drop down list and specify a place, such as "Center".

3. Click the "Ok" button.

The filename without the extension will now appear in the header or footer as per your settings in the Insert Workbook Information dialog box.

Notes:
(1) When inserting workbook name in a cell with "Insert Workbook Information" utility, it will return “This workbook never saved” if you have never saved current workbook before.
(2) When inserting workbook name in a cell with "Insert Workbook Information" utility, it will return filename with extension, such as “20150812.xlsx”.

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Demo: Insert filename in Header/Footer/cell without extension using Kutools for Excel

 
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