Let's say, for common security measures, you want to display only the last four digits of an identification or Social Security number, credit card number, or other number and replace the rest of the digits with asterisks. Whether the digits in your cell are formatted as text, numbers, or the special Social Security number format, you can use the same functions. To display only the last four digits of identification numbers, use the CONCATENATE, RIGHT, and REPT functions.
Example
The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.
How to copy an example
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Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
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Select the example in the Help topic.
Note: Do not select the row or column headers.
Selecting an example from Help
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Press CTRL+C.
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In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
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To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Formulas tab, in the Formula Auditing group, click the Show Formulas button.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Type | Data |
| 2 | Social Security Number | 555-55-5555 |
| 3 | Credit Card Number | 5555-5555-5555-5555 |
| 4 | Formula | Description (Result) |
| 5 | =CONCATENATE("***-**-", RIGHT(B2,4)) | Combines the last four digits of the SSN with the "***-**-" text string (***-**-5555) |
| 6 | =CONCATENATE(REPT("****-",3), RIGHT(B3,4)) | Repeats the "****-" text string three times and combines the result with the the last four digits of the credit card number w(****-****-****-5555) |
Security Note: In the example, you should hide column B and protect the worksheet so that the original data cannot be viewed.
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