Excel LENB Function
The LENB function returns the length of a string in bytes. LENB is intended for use with languages that use the double-byte character set (DBCS), such as Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean, and Japanese. The function counts each double-byte character as 2.
Syntax
=LENB(text)
Arguments
- text (required): The text whose length you want to count.
Return Value
The LENB function returns a numeric value.
Function Notes
- Spaces count as characters.
- LENB always counts each double-byte character as 2 when you have enabled the editing of a language that supports DBCS and then set it as the default language. Otherwise, LENB counts each character as 1 just like LEN.
- LENB counts actual values instead of the look of your data. For example, A1 is date 9/1/2022, LENB(A1) returns 5, as the actual value in A1 is 44805 which was just formatted as a date value.
Example
To have LENB return the length of the supplied strings as shown in the below table in bytes, please copy or enter the formula below in the top cell (D6) of the result list, and press Enter to get the result. Then select the result cell, and drag the fill handle (the small square in the lower-right corner of the selected cell) down to apply the formula to the below cells.
=LENB(B6)
Instead of cell references, you can type the actual text value in the formula as shown below.
=LENB("你在干什么")
Note: You should enclose the text string in an Excel formula with double quotes (""). Note that cell references, numbers or dates should not be within quotes.
LENB VS. LEN
LENB counts each double-byte character as 2 and each single-byte character as 1. While LEN counts both double- and single-byte character as 1. You can compare the results returned by LENB and LEN as shown below.
Related functions
The LEN function returns the number of characters in a text string.
The LEFTB function returns the specified number of characters from the beginning (left) of a supplied string based on the number of bytes you specify. LEFTB is intended for use with languages that use the double-byte character set (DBCS), such as Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean, and Japanese. The function counts each double-byte character as 2.
The RIGHTB function returns the specified number of characters from the end (right) of a supplied string based on the number of bytes you specify. RIGHTB is intended for use with languages that use the double-byte character set (DBCS), such as Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean, and Japanese. The function counts each double-byte character as 2.
The REPLACEB function replaces part of a text string with a new text string based on the number of bytes you specify. REPLACEB is intended for use with languages that use the double-byte character set (DBCS), such as Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean, and Japanese. The function counts each double-byte character as 2.
The MIDB function returns a specific number of characters from a text string, starting at the position you specify, based on the number of bytes you specify. MIDB is intended for use with languages that use the double-byte character set (DBCS), such as Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean, and Japanese. The function counts each double-byte character as 2.
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