How to Split a Cell on Google Sheets on Android

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 15, 2018 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to use the SPLIT function in Google Sheets to split multiple words or characters in the same cell into separate cells, using Android.

Steps

1
Open the Google Sheets app on your Android. The Sheets icon looks like a green sheet with a white table on it. You can find it on your Apps menu.
- If the Sheets app opens up to a spreadsheet you were previously viewing, tap the back button to go back to your home screen.
2
Tap the
button. It's located in the lower-right corner of your screen.

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3
Tap New spreadsheet. This will open a new spreadsheet document.
- Alternatively, you can open a spreadsheet you've created before in your Sheets app.
4
Double tap an empty cell. This will highlight the cell, and bring up your keyboard.
5
Enter two words in the empty cell, separated by an underscore. The SPLIT function will let you separate these two words into two different cells.
- For example, if the two words you want to split into separate cells are Word1 and Word2, type Word1_Word2 in the empty cell.
- Feel free to use a different punctuation to separate your words or characters. Try using a comma or a period to see which one works best for you.
6
Tap another empty cell. You will be inserting your split function into this new cell. Your first word or character will be copied here when you split your initial cell.
7
Tap the fx icon. This button is located next to the formula field in the lower-left corner of your spreadsheet. It will open the "Insert function" page.
8
Tap the
button. It's in the upper-right corner of your screen. This button will let you enter a keyword and search a function to insert.
9
Type SPLIT in the search field. All matching results will appear in a drop-down below the search bar.
10
Tap SPLIT in the results. This will insert the SPLIT function into the empty cell you've selected.
11
Tap the cell with the words you want to split in it. It will highlight this cell with red, and insert the cell name into your SPLIT function.
- For example, if the words or characters you want to split are in the A1 cell, your SPLIT function will now read =SPLIT(A1).
12
Add a comma after the cell name in your SPLIT function. This will let you indicate the punctuation mark you're using between the two words, and tell the SPLIT function where to split your cell.
13
Type "_" after the comma in your SPLIT function. This way, the SPLIT function will split the words in the A1 cell, using the underscore as the point of separation.
- For example, if your initial cell is A1, your SPLIT function should now read =SPLIT(A1,"_").
- Instead of searching all the functions, you can also just type =SPLIT(A1,"_") into an empty cell. It will save you some extra time.
- If you're using a different punctuation, replace the underscore in the above function with the one you're using. For example, if you're using a period to split your words, your function should read =SPLIT(A1,".").
14
Tap the blue checkmark next to the function field. This will confirm your completed SPLIT function, and split the words in your initial cell into new, separate cells.

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Warnings

If you want to split more than two words or characters, separate each one with the same punctuation mark. If you're using an underscore to separate your first and second words, don't switch from an underscore to a period between your second and third words.

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