Excel FIND Function
Summary
The Excel FIND function returns the position (as a number) of one text string inside another. When the text is not found, FIND returns a #VALUE error.
Purpose
Get the location of text in a string
Return value
A number representing the location of find_text.
Syntax
=FIND (find_text, within_text, [start_num])
Arguments
- find_text - The text to find.
- within_text - The text to search within.
- start_num - [optional] The starting position in the text to search. Optional, defaults to 1.
Usage notes
- The FIND function will return the location of the first instance of find_text in within_text.
- The location is returned as the number of characters from the start of within_text.
- Start_num is optional and defaults to 1.
- FIND will return #VALUE if find_text is not found in within_text .
- FIND is case-sensitive and does not support wildcards.
- Use the SEARCH function to search without case-sensitivity and/or to use wildcards.
FIND formula examples
To use data validation to restrict punctuation, you can use a named range and a formula based on the FIND and COUNT functions. In the example shown, the data validation applied to C5:C10 is:
=COUNT(FIND(xlist,B5))=0...
To generate basic outline numbering you can use a formula based several Excel functions, including COUNTA, IF, MID, FIND, and LEN. In the example shown, the formula in D5 is:
=COUNTA($B$5:B5)&"."&IF(...
To remove the protocol (i.e. http://, ftp://, etc.) and trailing slash from a URL, you can use a formual based on the MID, FIND, and LEN functions. In the example shown, the formula in C5 is:
=MID(B5,FIND("//...
If you want to get the workbook path (directory) only, you can do so with a formula that uses the LEFT and the FIND function. The result will look something like this:
Drive:\path\to\file\ //Windows
Drive:path:to:...
To convert a measurement in feet and inches to inches only (i.e. 4'5" to 53) you can use a formula based on several functions, including LEFT, FIND, MID, and SUBSTITUTE. In the example shown, the formula in D5 is:
=...
To separate text and numbers, you can use a formula based on the FIND function, the MIN function, and the LEN function with the LEFT or RIGHT function, depending on whether you want to extract the text or the number. In...
To lookup the latest file version in a list, you can use a formula based on the LOOKUP function together with the ISNUMBER and FIND functions. In the example shown, the formula in cell G7 is:
=LOOKUP(2,1/(ISNUMBER(...
If you need extract the last name from a full name, you can do so with this rather complex formula that uses several functions. In the generic form of the formula (above), name is a full name, with a space separating...
To extract a word that contains specific text,you can use a formula based on several functions, including TRIM, LEFT, SUBSTITUTE, MID, MAX, and REPT. You can use this formula to extract things like email addresses, or...
Note: Excel contains many built-in "presets" for highlighting values with conditional formatting, including a preset to highlight cells that begin with specific text. However, if you want more flexibility, you can use...
If you have worksheet that contains text dimensions (i.e. "50 ft x 200 ft" etc.) you can split the into two parts with formulas that use several text functions.
Background
A common annoyance with data is that it may...
Note: Excel contains many built-in "presets" for highlighting values with conditional formatting, including a preset to highlight cells that contain specific text. However, if you want more flexibility, you can use your...
To count the number of cells that contain certain text, you can use the COUNTIF function. In the generic form of the formula (above), rng is a range of cells, txt represents the text that cells should contain, and "*"...
To extract the top level domain (called "TLD") from a list of domain names or email addresses, you can use a rather complex formula that uses several functions. In the generic form of the formula (above), domain...
If you need to extract the first word from some text you can use a formula that uses the FIND and LEFT functions. From the example, the formula looks like this:
=LEFT(B4,FIND(" ",B4)-1)
How this formula...
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Some formulas you see in Excel can be extraordinarily complex. But all complex formulas are built from simple steps. In this video, we built a more complex formula step by step.
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