UNICODE Function in Excel
UNICODE function in excel “returns the number (code point) corresponding to the first character of the text.” UNICODE is an encoding method that can be applied for different encodings for the likes of UTF-8, UTF-16, etc. and was first introduced in Excel 2013 version. If you are using earlier versions, then you will not see this function.
In most of the websites, UTF-8 is the common encoding, and the first 128 characters are from the ASCII character set. Some of the examples for UNICODE commonly used are ☐, ☑, ⚐, ⚑, ▲, and ▼, so these are commonly used Unicode characters.
Syntax
Below is the UNICODE function syntax.
We just need to provide what the text value to be converted to Unicode.
On the other hand, the unichar function converts the number given by the UNICODE to the unique character. We will see this in the example section of this article in a while now.
Examples of UNICODE Function in Excel
Example #1
First, we will see how the UNICODE function works with simple examples. First, we will use the text value “Excel” to convert to Unicode.
We have entered the text “Excel” in the cell A1, and then in B1 cell, we have applied the UNICODE function with the cell reference of A1, so when we applied this text, we get the below number code for the provided text.
4.9 (1,353 ratings) 35+ Courses | 120+ Hours | Full Lifetime Access | Certificate of Completion
So the text value “Excel” equals to the code number 69. There is also an interesting point we need to remember here is UNICODE function converts only the first character to unique code. For example, look at the below image of the formula.
In the second formula in cell B2, we have got the same Unicode of 69 for the text value “E.” The interesting thing is in the previous case word “Excel” also equals code 69, and in the second instance letter, “E” equals code 69 only. So this is the indication that the UNICODE function converts only the first letter or character to Unicode.
Example #2
UNICODE function works differently for uppercase and lowercase characters. For example, we will use the word “A” & “a” to see how it works.
The text letter “A” is equal to the code number 65, similarly now we have the lowercase letter “a” and see what we get if we apply the UNICODE function.
So the letter “a” is equal to the code number 97.
Example #3
Now we will see what we get when we supply alphabets with other special characters. Look at the below image of the formula.
So the letter “A” returns 65, but the other character “A returns 64 because it has considered the first character “ only, so we got 34 only.
Below are some of the example of special character codes.
Like this, we can use the UNICODE function in excel to convert the letters to code.
Things to Remember
- UNICODE function is the opposite of the UNICHAR function.
- UNICODE converts only the first letter of the provided text.
Recommended Articles
This has been a guide to Excel UNICODE. Here we discuss how to use the UNICODE function in excel using formula along with excel example and downloadable excel templates. You may also look at these useful excel tools –
- 35+ Courses
- 120+ Hours
- Full Lifetime Access
- Certificate of Completion
