{"id":3326,"date":"2014-03-03T20:47:35","date_gmt":"2014-03-03T15:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/?page_id=3326"},"modified":"2023-11-23T13:21:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T07:51:13","slug":"excel-search-function","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-search-function\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Excel SEARCH Function (Examples + Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Excel SEARCH Function (Example + Video)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3290\" src=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SEARCH-FORMULA-EXCEL.png\" alt=\"Excel SEARCH Function\" width=\"450\" height=\"327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SEARCH-FORMULA-EXCEL.png 752w, https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SEARCH-FORMULA-EXCEL-413x300.png 413w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">When to use Excel SEARCH Function<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Excel SEARCH function can be used when you want to locate a text string within another text string and find its position.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">What it Returns<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It returns a number that represents the starting position of the string you are finding in another string.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Syntax<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>=SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num])<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Input Arguments<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>find_text \u2013 the text or string that you need to find.<\/li>\n<li>within_text \u2013 the text within which you want to find the find_text argument.<\/li>\n<li>[start_num] \u2013 a number that represents the position from which you want the search to begin. If you omit it, it starts from the beginning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Additional Notes<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If the start number is not specified, then it starts looking from the beginning of the string.<\/li>\n<li>SEARCH function is not\u00a0<b><i>case-sensitive. <\/i><\/b>If you want to do a case-sensitive search, use <a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-find-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FIND function<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>SEARCH\u00a0function <b><i>can handle wildcard characters.<\/i><\/b>\n<ul>\n<li>There are three <a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-wildcard-characters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wildcard characters<\/a> in Excel \u2013 the question mark (?), asterisk (*), and tilde (~).\n<ul>\n<li>A question mark matches any single character.<\/li>\n<li>An asterisk matches any sequence of characters.<\/li>\n<li>If you want to find an actual question mark or asterisk, type a tilde (<b class=\"ocpLegacyBold\">~<\/b>) before the character.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>It returns a #VALUE! error if the searched string is not found in the text.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #800000; text-decoration: underline;\">Excel SEARCH Function &#8211; Examples<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here are four examples of using Excel SEARCH function:<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">#1 Searching for a Word in a Text String (from the beginning)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13078 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-1.png\" alt=\"Excel Search Function - Example 1\" width=\"718\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-1.png 718w, https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-1-600x185.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the above example, when you search for the word <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">good<\/span> in the text <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Good Morning<\/span>, it returns 1, which is the position of the starting point of the searched word.<\/p>\n<p>Note that Excel SEARCH function is not case sensitive. So you get the same result whether you use good, Good, or GOOD.<\/p>\n<p>If you are looking for a case sensitive search, use Excel FIND function.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>#2 Searching for a Word in a Text String (with a specified beginning)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13071 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-2.png\" alt=\"Excel Search Function - Example 2\" width=\"771\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-2.png 771w, https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-2-600x209.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The third argument in the SEARCH function is the position within the text from where you want to start the search. In the example above, the function returns 1 when you search for the text <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">good<\/span> in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Good Morning<\/span> and the starting position is 1.<\/p>\n<p>However, it returns an error when you make it start at 2. Hence, it looks for the text <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">good<\/span> in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">ood\u00a0Morning<\/span>. Since it can not find it, it returns an error.<\/p>\n<p>Note: If you skip the last argument and don&#8217;t provide the starting position, by default it\u00a0takes it as 1.<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">#3 When there are Multiple Occurrence of the Searched Text<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13072 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-3.png\" alt=\"Excel Search Function - Example 3\" width=\"768\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-3.png 768w, https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-3-600x222.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Excel SEARCH function starts looking in the specified text from the specified position. In the above example, when you look for the text <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">good<\/span> in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Good Good Morning<\/span> with the starting position as 1, it returns 1, as it finds it at the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>When you start the search from the second character onwards, it returns 6, as it finds the matching text at the sixth position.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>\u00a0#4 Using Wildcard Characters in Excel Search Function<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13073 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-4.png\" alt=\"Excel Search Function - Example 4\" width=\"675\" height=\"193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-4.png 675w, https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Excel-Search-Function-Example-4-600x172.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Excel SEARCH Function can also handle wildcard characters. In the above example, the searched text is <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">c*l<\/span>, which means any text string that beings with <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">c<\/span> and end with <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">l<\/span> and can have any number of characters in between. In Excel, it finds the searched string at the third position (Ex<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">cel<\/span><\/strong>) and returns 3.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800000; text-decoration: underline;\">Excel SEARCH Function &#8211; Video Tutorial<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe title=\"SEARCH Formula in Excel\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EGeEVVIhGyQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Related Excel Functions:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-find-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Excel FIND Function<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-lower-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Excel LOWER Function<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-upper-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Excel UPPER Function<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-proper-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Excel PROPER Function<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-replace-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Excel REPLACE Function<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-substitute-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Excel SUBSTITUTE Function<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">You May Also Like the Following Excel Tutorials:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/search-highlight-using-conditional-formatting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search and Highlight Data Using Conditional Formatting<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/dynamic-excel-filter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Create Dynamic Filter in Excel<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-drop-down-list-with-search-suggestions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Create Drop Down List with Search Suggestions<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/separate-first-and-last-name-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Separate First and Last Name in Excel<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/check-if-cell-contains-partial-text-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Check IF Cell Contains Partial Text in Excel<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Excel SEARCH Function (Example + Video) When to use Excel SEARCH Function Excel SEARCH function can be used when you want to locate a text string within another text string and find its position. What it Returns It returns a number that represents the starting position of the string you are finding in another string. &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"How to Use Excel SEARCH Function (Examples + Video)\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/excel-search-function\/#more-3326\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Use Excel SEARCH Function (Examples + Video)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[153],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-3326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-excel-functions","tag-excel-how-tos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trumpexcel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}