Got it, let's tackle this problem. Since you're dealing with values like 5days or 15days returned by VLOOKUP and need to extract just the numeric part for leadTimeD—and you want a simple, plug-in-free solution that works across multiple Excel files—here are a few straightforward options:

1. Use SUBSTITUTE (Works in all Excel versions) #

This is the most universal approach, since it directly removes the fixed "days" string from your cell content, regardless of how many digits the number has.

Suppose your target cell is A1 (where the VLOOKUP result lives). Use this formula:
=SUBSTITUTE(A1,"days","")

• How it works: It replaces every instance of "days" in A1 with an empty string, leaving only the numeric characters behind.
• For batch processing: Just drag the fill handle down to apply this formula to all relevant cells, and copy-paste the formula across your other Excel files as needed.

If you need the result to be a numeric value (not just text that looks like a number), wrap the SUBSTITUTE in a VALUE function:
=VALUE(SUBSTITUTE(A1,"days",""))

2. Use TEXTBEFORE (Excel 365/2021+) #

If you're using a newer Excel version, the TEXTBEFORE function makes this even more intuitive—it extracts all text before the specified "days" delimiter.

Formula:
=TEXTBEFORE(A1,"days")

• This function automatically stops at the first occurrence of "days", so it's clean and readable. Like the SUBSTITUTE method, you can drag to fill batches and reuse across files.

Quick Note on Cell Formatting #

While you asked about formulas, it's worth mentioning: cell formatting alone won't extract the numeric value (it only changes how the content is displayed). If you need the actual numeric data for calculations or further use, stick with the formula methods above—they'll give you a usable value for leadTimeD.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者J. Doe