Excel CHAR and CODE Functions

last modified October 5, 2026

The CHAR and CODE functions are essential text functions in Excel that work with character encoding. CHAR returns the character for a given numeric code, while CODE does the reverse and returns the code of the first character in a string. On Windows, both functions use the ANSI character set (Windows-1252), which extends ASCII with accented letters, currency symbols, and typographic characters. This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to using these functions with detailed examples. You'll learn their syntax, practical applications, and advanced techniques.

CHAR and CODE Function Basics

The CHAR function returns the character specified by a number from 1 to 255. The CODE function returns the numeric code for the first character of a text string. Together they let you move between codes and characters in either direction.

Function	Description	Syntax
CHAR	Returns the character for a code from 1 to 255	=CHAR(number)
CODE	Returns the code of the first character of a text string	=CODE(text)

This table shows the basic characteristics of both functions. CHAR takes a number (1-255) and returns the corresponding character. CODE takes a text string and returns the code of its first character. A non-integer number is truncated toward zero, so =CHAR(65.9) returns A just like =CHAR(65).

Argument	Meaning
number (CHAR)	An integer from 1 to 255. Values below 1 or above 255 return #VALUE!.
text (CODE)	The text whose first character you want to inspect. An empty string returns #VALUE!.

CHAR and CODE are inverses of each other: =CODE(CHAR(65)) returns 65, and =CHAR(CODE("A")) returns A. This pairing makes it easy to verify a code or to build text from numeric data.

=CODE(CHAR(65))    ' 65
=CHAR(CODE("A"))   ' A

ANSI and Unicode

On Windows, CHAR and CODE use the ANSI character set (Windows-1252), not the older 7-bit ASCII set. The two sets agree on codes 0-127, but codes 128-159 hold extra symbols in Windows-1252, such as the euro sign at code 128 and the trademark sign at code 153. This is why CODE can return values above 127.

Modern Excel also provides the Unicode counterparts UNICHAR and UNICODE. UNICHAR accepts a code point from 1 to 1,114,111 and returns the matching Unicode character, while UNICODE returns the code point of the first character. Use them when you need characters outside the 255-character ANSI set, such as emoji or non-Latin scripts.

Function	Description	Syntax
UNICHAR	Returns the Unicode character for a code point (1-1,114,111)	=UNICHAR(number)
UNICODE	Returns the Unicode code point of the first character	=UNICODE(text)

=CHAR(128)       ' euro sign, Windows-1252
=UNICHAR(8364)   ' euro sign, Unicode code point
=UNICODE("A")    ' 65

=UNICHAR(128) returns a control character rather than the euro sign, because Unicode code point 128 is different from ANSI code 128. The UNICODE function returns 8364 for the euro sign, the code point that CHAR cannot express.

Common Character Codes

The following table lists codes that are used most often in formulas. The character column shows what each code produces on a Windows system.

Code	Character	Name
9	Tab	Horizontal tab
10	Line feed	Line break inside a cell
13	Carriage return	Carriage return
32	Space	Space
34	"	Double quote
38	&	Ampersand
39	'	Apostrophe
60	<	Less-than sign
62	>	Greater-than sign
64	@	At sign
65	A	Uppercase A
90	Z	Uppercase Z
97	a	Lowercase a
122	z	Lowercase z
128	€	Euro sign (Windows-1252)
149	•	Bullet (Windows-1252)
153	™	Trademark sign (Windows-1252)
160		Non-breaking space
176	°	Degree sign
177	±	Plus-minus sign

Codes 1-31 are control characters. They rarely print, but CHAR(10) and CHAR(13) are useful for line breaks, and CHAR(9) inserts a tab. CHAR(160) looks like a space but is not trimmed by the TRIM function, which is a common source of lookup failures.

Basic CHAR Example

This example demonstrates the simplest use of the CHAR function to return a common character.

=CHAR(65)

This formula returns the uppercase letter "A", which has code 65. The CHAR function is useful for generating specific characters when you know their codes.

Basic CODE Example

This example shows how to use the CODE function to find the code for a character.

=CODE("A")

This formula returns 65, the code for uppercase "A". CODE only looks at the first character of the input string, making it useful for analyzing single characters.

Generating Special Characters

CHAR is often used to insert special characters that aren't readily available on keyboards. This example shows how to create line breaks in cells.

A	B
First line
Second line
	=A1 & CHAR(10) & A2

The table demonstrates combining text with CHAR(10) to create a line break. Note that you must enable "Wrap Text" for the cell to display properly.

="Line 1" & CHAR(10) & "Line 2"

This formula combines two text strings with a line break character (code 10) between them. The result displays as two lines in one cell when wrap text is enabled. The same idea works with CHAR(13), the carriage return, which Windows programs often place before the line feed.

Analyzing Character Codes

CODE can help analyze and compare characters. This example shows how to check whether a character is uppercase.

A	B
M
m
	=CODE(A1) & " vs " & CODE(A2)

The table compares the codes for uppercase and lowercase "M". Uppercase M is 77 and lowercase m is 109, so this demonstrates how CODE reveals case differences. For letters of the alphabet, the lowercase code is always 32 higher than the uppercase code.

=IF(AND(CODE(A1)>=65, CODE(A1)<=90), "Uppercase", "Not uppercase")

This formula checks whether the character in A1 is uppercase by verifying that its code falls between 65 (A) and 90 (Z). It returns "Uppercase" when true.

Creating Custom Formats

CHAR can help create custom text formats by inserting special characters. This example shows how to add bullet points.

A	B
Item 1
Item 2
	=CHAR(149) & " " & A1 & CHAR(10) & CHAR(149) & " " & A2

The table demonstrates creating a bulleted list using CHAR(149) for bullet points and CHAR(10) for line breaks between items. Code 149 is the bullet character in the Windows-1252 set.

=CHAR(149) & " First item" & CHAR(10) & CHAR(149) & " Second item"

This formula creates a two-item bulleted list in one cell. CHAR(149) produces a bullet point, and CHAR(10) adds a line break between the items. Wrap text must be enabled for the breaks to appear.

Generating Alphabet Sequences

CHAR can generate alphabet sequences using the codes for A-Z (65-90) and a-z (97-122). This example creates an uppercase alphabet sequence.

A	B
1
2
3
	=CHAR(64+A1) & "-" & CHAR(64+A2) & "-" & CHAR(64+A3)

The table shows how to convert numbers to corresponding letters by adding 64, the offset that maps 1 to A, and using CHAR. This creates a letter sequence from numbers.

=CHAR(64+ROW())

This formula generates letters corresponding to row numbers (A in row 1, B in row 2, and so on). It is useful for creating dynamic column headers or labels. Note that the pattern only produces letters while the row number stays between 1 and 26.

Cleaning Non-Printable Characters

CODE can identify and clean non-printable characters in imported data. Control characters have codes below 32 and often arrive from other systems. This example shows how to detect them.

A	B
="Data" & CHAR(9)	=CODE(RIGHT(A1,1))

Cell A1 builds the text "Data" followed by a tab character, and B1 returns the code of its last character. The result is 9, confirming that the string ends with a tab.

=IF(CODE(RIGHT(A1,1))<32, "Contains control character", "Clean")

This formula checks whether the last character in A1 has a code below 32, which means it is a control character. It returns a warning message when one is found and "Clean" otherwise. Remember that RIGHT extracts the last character before CODE inspects it.

Creating Password Complexity Checks

CODE can help enforce password complexity by checking for mixed character types. This example verifies that a password contains at least one uppercase letter.

A	B
PassWord1	=SUMPRODUCT(--(CODE(MID(A1,ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&LEN(A1))),1))>=65), --(CODE(MID(A1,ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&LEN(A1))),1))<=90))>0

The table shows a formula that examines each character's code and counts how many fall in the uppercase range. It returns TRUE because "PassWord1" contains uppercase letters.

=SUMPRODUCT(--(CODE(MID(A1,ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&LEN(A1))),1))>=65),
 --(CODE(MID(A1,ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&LEN(A1))),1))<=90))>0

This formula returns TRUE if the text in A1 contains at least one uppercase letter (codes 65-90). MID splits the string into single characters, CODE converts each one to its code, and SUMPRODUCT adds up the matches. It demonstrates advanced use of CODE for text analysis.

CHAR and CODE Errors and Troubleshooting

Cause	Symptom	Fix
Code below 1 or above 255 passed to CHAR	#VALUE! error	Use a code from 1 to 255, or switch to UNICHAR for larger code points
Empty string or empty cell passed to CODE	#VALUE! error	Test with LEN first, for example =IF(LEN(A1)>0, CODE(A1), "")
CODE reads only the first character	Unexpected code for a multi-character string	Extract the wanted character with MID or RIGHT before calling CODE
Character is outside the ANSI set	CODE may return 63 (question mark)	Use UNICODE and UNICHAR for characters above code 255
Non-integer code passed to CHAR	Unexpected character	The number is truncated toward zero, so CHAR(65.9) is CHAR(65)
CHAR(10) does not show a line break	Text stays on one line	Enable Wrap Text for the cell

The CHAR and CODE functions are powerful tools for working with character data in Excel. CHAR turns codes into characters for line breaks, bullets, and symbols, while CODE reveals the code behind any character for cleaning and validation. Together they form the bridge between text and numbers. For characters beyond the ANSI range, reach for UNICHAR and UNICODE. Mastering these functions will enhance your ability to clean, format, and analyze text data efficiently.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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