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    ASC

    Text

    Converts full-width (double-byte) characters in a text string to half-width (single-byte) characters. Used primarily with East Asian language data (Japanese, Chinese, Korean).

    Translations
    EnglishASC
    FrenchASC
    SpanishASC
    GermanASC
    ItalianASC
    PortugueseASC
    DutchASC
    PolishASC
    RussianASC
    TurkishASC
    CzechASC
    HungarianASC
    SwedishASC
    DanishASC
    FinnishASC
    Syntax
    ASC(text)

    Arguments

    • textThe text or cell reference containing characters to convert.
    Examples
    =ASC("ＥＸＣＥＬ")
    EXCEL

    Converts full-width Latin letters to half-width

    =ASC("１２３")
    123

    Converts full-width digits to half-width

    =ASC(A1)
    Cleaned

    Cleans up imported text containing full-width characters

    Tips & Best Practices
    • •Only affects full-width characters; other characters are returned unchanged
    • •Use DBCS for the opposite conversion (half-width → full-width)
    • •Most useful when working with data imported from Japanese, Chinese, or Korean systems
    • •The function name is the same in every language version of Excel
    Common Mistakes
    • •Using ASC on text that contains no full-width characters at all, expecting some kind of transformation - it simply returns the text unchanged when there's nothing to convert
    • •Confusing ASC with a general-purpose text cleanup function like TRIM or CLEAN - it only converts full-width to half-width characters, it doesn't remove spaces or non-printable characters
    • •Applying ASC in a non-East-Asian locale expecting a visible effect on ordinary Latin text pasted from Word or a website - most text from Western sources never contains full-width characters in the first place
    Related Functions
    DBCSPerforms the reverse conversion - turns half-width characters into full-width ones.
    TRIMRemoves extra spaces from text, a different kind of cleanup than ASC's width conversion.
    CLEANStrips non-printable control characters, unrelated to the full-width/half-width distinction ASC addresses.
    Frequently Asked Questions

    What does ASC actually change in a text string?

    It converts full-width (double-byte) characters - common in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean text - into their half-width (single-byte) equivalents. Characters without a full-width form are left untouched.

    Why did ASC return my text with no visible change?

    Your text probably didn't contain any full-width characters to begin with - ASC only affects that specific character category, not general spacing or formatting issues.

    Does ASC's function name change in other language versions of Excel?

    No, ASC keeps the same name across every language version of Excel, unlike most other functions which get fully localized names.

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