How to Remove Dashes, Spaces and Brackets From Phone Numbers in Bulk
To remove formatting from phone numbers, delete every character that is not a digit. The remove formatting from phone numbers tool does that for a pasted list or CSV: (415) 555-0132 becomes 4155550132. It can keep a leading + sign, moves extensions to their own column, and flags numbers that are too short or too long. It runs in your browser.
What is removed
Spaces, dashes, dots, brackets and slashes all go. A leading + can stay, since it marks a country code. An extension written ext. 42, x42 or #42 at the end is moved to its own column. Letters, as in 1-800-FLOWERS, are dropped and the row is flagged. Turning letters into digits is a different job, done by the vanity number converter.
Step 1: paste the list
Paste numbers, or upload a CSV and the phone column is found for you.
Step 2: choose whether to keep the plus sign
Keep it if the numbers carry a country code and the next system wants E.164. Drop it if the system wants digits only.
Step 3: read the digit check
Numbers under 7 digits are flagged as too short, and over 15 as too long, since E.164 allows at most 15. That catches cut-off cells and two numbers pasted into one. Rows that had letters are flagged too.
Step 4: download
Download the CSV with your original columns plus the digits and extension, or copy the digits.
The by-hand way in Excel or Sheets
Nest one SUBSTITUTE per character:
=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"(",""),")","")," ",""),"-",""),".","")
Use one SUBSTITUTE for each different character in your list. It works, but a list with five kinds of punctuation gets unreadable, it leaves extensions glued to the number, and it flags nothing. In Sheets, =REGEXREPLACE(A2,"[^0-9+]","") does it in one step.
Why leading zeros vanish
A spreadsheet reads a column of digits as numbers and drops leading zeros when it opens the file. The tool never changes digits, only the characters around them. Set the column to text before opening or importing. See how to keep leading zeros when opening a CSV in Excel. If a long number turns into 1.41555E+10, read how to fix phone numbers in scientific notation.
Is stripping the same as formatting to E.164
No. Stripping does not know the country, so nothing adds the +1. The phone number formatter reads each country's numbering plan and writes full E.164. A leading 0 or a 00 prefix is left alone here, because removing it needs the country. See clean phone numbers in a CSV for the whole job.
What this tool cannot do
- It reads text only, so it cannot say whether a number is valid or what country it belongs to.
- A leading 0 or 00 is kept.
- Letters are dropped, not turned into digits.
- It cannot rebuild digits a spreadsheet has already lost.
Does a plain-digit number mean it is active
No. Nothing here contacts a phone network, so a number that passes is only well formed. If the same list has email addresses, check them on the verify page: the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. Each comes back valid, risky or invalid with a reason, and nothing is sent to anyone on the list. For larger or recurring lists, see bulk email verification, list cleaning and pricing.
Strip your numbers now
Paste the list into the remove formatting from phone numbers tool.
Common questions
How do I remove dashes from phone numbers in Excel?
Nest SUBSTITUTE calls, one for each character, such as =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"-","")," ",""). Add one for each bracket and dot. Or use a tool that strips every non-digit at once.
Does removing formatting add a country code?
No. Stripping works on the text alone and does not know the country, so 4155550132 stays as it is. Use a formatter that reads the numbering plan to write full E.164.
What happens to extensions?
An ext., x or # followed by digits at the end moves to its own column so its digits do not join the number.
Why did my leading zero disappear?
A spreadsheet reads the column as numbers and drops leading zeros when it opens the file. Set the column to text before opening or importing.
Does a plain-digit number mean it is valid?
No. Length is the only check made. A number can have the right number of digits and still be unallocated or unused.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.