# How delete all characters except first 2 in a tag
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-delete-all-characters-except-first-2-in-a-tag/10786
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [September 9, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-delete-all-characters-except-first-2-in-a-tag/10786 "2010-09-09T20:48:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@engine8470](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/engine8470)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-delete-all-characters-except-first-2-in-a-tag/10786/1 "2010-09-09T20:48:35Z")
I've been searching for hours and i can't find a way to delete all characters except the first 2 in a tag...
I try to use the replace with regular expression action but can't do it..
What do i have to do to make it work?
Thanks in advance.
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### Author:  [@JJ\_Johnson](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/JJ_Johnson)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-delete-all-characters-except-first-2-in-a-tag/10786/2 "2010-09-09T21:37:16Z")
A simple format value action should work. Use the $mid() function to grab everything from the 3rd character to the end of the string. If there's a chance that the third character could be a space then I would also surround that with a $trim() function, as in **$trim($mid(%title%,3,999))**.
_Action type:_ **Format value**
_Field:_ **TITLE**
_Format string:_ **$mid(%title%,3,999)**
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### Author:  [@JJ\_Johnson](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/JJ_Johnson)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-delete-all-characters-except-first-2-in-a-tag/10786/3 "2010-09-09T21:40:21Z")
Whoops. I just reread your post. You wan the opposite effect. Still, a format value action will do the trick. Use the $left() function.
_Action type:_ **Format value**
_Field:_ **TITLE**
_Format string:_ **$left(%title%,2)**
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### Author:  [@engine8470](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/engine8470)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-delete-all-characters-except-first-2-in-a-tag/10786/4 "2010-09-09T21:57:24Z")
it works great! thank you very much!
mp3tag is a great tool. it has saved me tons of time.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:22pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-delete-all-characters-except-first-2-in-a-tag/10786/5 "2026-02-09T12:22:32Z")