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
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...
To remove a file extension from a file name, you can use a formula based on the LEFT and FIND functions. In the example shown, the formula in C5 is:
=LEFT(B5,FIND(".",B5)-1)
How this formula works
The core...
To extract the last two words from a cell, you can use a formula built with several Excel functions, including MID, FIND, SUBSTITUTE, and LEN. In the example shown, the formula in C5 is:
=MID(B5,FIND("@",...
If you need extract the first name from a full name, you can easily do so with the FIND and LEFT functions. In the generic form of the formula (above), name is a full name, with a space separating the first name from...
If you want to extract the domain name from a complete URL, you can do so with a formula that uses the the LEFT and FIND functions. In the generic form above, url is the the URL you are working with.
In the example, we...
If you have a list of things (words, substrings, etc) and want to find out which of these things appear in a cell, you can build a simple table and use a formula based on the SEARCH function.
Setup
Suppose you have a...
If you want to highlight rows in a table that contain specific text, you use conditional formatting with a formula that returns TRUE when the the text is found. The trick is to concatenate (glue together) the columns...
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(...
If you want to get the current workbook's full name and path without a sheet name, you can use a formula that employs several text functions to strip off the sheet name. The final result will be a text string that looks...
To get the name of the current worksheet (i.e. current tab) you can use a formula based on the CELL function. CELL retrieves the workbook name and sheet, and the MID and FIND functions are used to extract just the...
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:
=...
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...
To sum if cells contain either one text string or another (i.e. contain "cat" or "rat") you can use the SUMPRODUCT function.
Background
When you sum cells with "OR" criteria, you need to be careful not to double count...
To extract the first name from a full name in "Last, First" format, you can use a formula that uses RIGHT, LEN and FIND functions. In the generic form of the formula (above), name is a full name in this format:
LAST,...
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...
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