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In this article
SEARCH works like FIND but ignores case and accepts wildcards (? and *). With ISNUMBER it becomes a “contains” test.
Syntax
=SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num])| Argument | What it means |
|---|---|
find_text |
Text to find; wildcards allowed. |
Examples
Example 1
=ISNUMBER(SEARCH("urgent", F2))TRUE if the note contains “urgent” in any case.
Example 2
=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("cable", D2)), "Cable", "Other")Categorise by keyword.
SEARCH in practice
Where you will use it
- Find words regardless of case
- Contains check: ISNUMBER(SEARCH("tea",A2))
- Wildcard search
Worked example
| Text | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Masala Tea | =IFERROR(SEARCH("tea",A2),"not found") | 8 |
| GREEN TEA | =IFERROR(SEARCH("tea",A3),"not found") | 7 |
| Coffee | =IFERROR(SEARCH("tea",A4),"not found") | not found |
Results calculated in Excel.
Mistakes people make
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Case-sensitive need | Use FIND |
| Wildcards in data | Use ~ to search for real * or ? |
Related functions
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📎 Practice files for this article
- 📗Practice workbook: Text & cleaning24 tasks on realistic sales data — type your formula, the Check column turns green when it is right. Answers sheet included.⬇ XLSX · 35 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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