What CLEAN does
CLEAN removes nonprintable characters that often appear in data imported from other systems. It is useful when a cell looks normal but still causes lookup, comparison, or formatting problems.
Practical examples
Remove hidden control characters from imported text
=CLEAN(A2)
Use this when pasted or imported values contain characters that should not display in the worksheet.
Combine CLEAN with TRIM for tougher cleanup
=TRIM(CLEAN(A2))
This handles hidden nonprintable characters first, then removes leading, trailing, and repeated spaces.
Common mistakes and notes
CLEAN does not remove every Unicode nonprinting character
Microsoft notes that CLEAN removes the first 32 nonprinting ASCII characters, but some additional Unicode nonprinting characters can remain.
CLEAN is often only one step in text cleanup
If the result still does not match as expected, combine CLEAN with functions like TRIM or SUBSTITUTE.