# Need help trimming characters
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-help-trimming-characters/14219
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [December 11, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-help-trimming-characters/14219 "2012-12-11T23:30:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@EB\_Joe](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/EB_Joe)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-help-trimming-characters/14219/1 "2012-12-11T23:30:32Z")
Until a couple weeks ago, I had the regex's to trim x number of characters at y position from the left and right side of the string. Then, my HD went toes up and I had to restore from a month-old backup, and lost them. Can somebody help? I cannot figure out how they went. I'll give you an example of what I want it to do.
String: abcdefghijklmonpqrstuvwxyz
trim 11 characters from the left at position 10
result:
String: abcdefghijvwxyz
trim 5 characters from the right at position 2
result:
String: abcdefghijklmonpqrsyz
Any help?
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-help-trimming-characters/14219/2 "2012-12-11T23:53:21Z")
> [@EB Joe](#):
>
> String: abcdefghijklmonpqrstuvwxyz
> trim 11 characters from the left at position 10
>
> result:
>
> String: abcdefghijvwxyz
**Regexp: ^(.{10}).{11}(.+)**
**Replace: $1$2**
> [@EB Joe](#):
>
> trim 5 characters from the right at position 2
>
> result:
>
> String: abcdefghijklmonpqrsyz
**Regexp: (.+).{5}(.{2})$**
**Replace: $1$2**
Notice how the two regexp work in both attachments. Pay close attention to the anchors **^** and **$**.
---
### Author:  [@EB\_Joe](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/EB_Joe)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-help-trimming-characters/14219/3 "2012-12-12T00:27:32Z")
Thank you very much, that works great. And yes, I need to pull my head out when it comes to anchors.
Now, I have saved the config to another drive with it's own backup, and to my data backup flash drive, so i don't have to ask again 😆
now, to continue  so i can learn more.
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-help-trimming-characters/14219/4 "2012-12-12T00:39:22Z")
Glad it works for you.
The world is now your oyster [http://www.regular-expressions.info](http://www.regular-expressions.info/tutorialcnt.html)
See anchors listed on the side menu.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-help-trimming-characters/14219/5 "2026-02-09T12:24:13Z")