The Excel FIND function, along with the Excel SEARCH function, returns the position of text within a string. In addition to extracting text, it can indicate whether a character exists, making it useful in combination with Excel conditional functions. When used with Excel text extraction functions such as MID, LEFT, and RIGHT, it is also a useful function for transforming text.
Every Excel function has “arguments.” One way to apply these “arguments” in various ways is to use the FIND function.
Excel FIND Function Definition and Syntax
The Excel FIND function finds the position of a specific character or text string in a cell value. When it finds text, it returns its position as a number. Positions are counted from the leftmost character, starting at 1, including spaces. If the text cannot be found, it returns #VALUE!.
Syntax
= FIND(“text to find”, “cell containing the text”)
This formula searches for the specified value in the entered cell and returns its position as a number.
Find Starting at a Specified Position
= FIND(“text to find”, “cell containing the text”, “number indicating where to start searching”)
This formula searches for the specified value in the cell text starting from the position number you enter and returns its position as a number.
Features of the Excel FIND Function
The most important feature of the Excel FIND function is that it is case-sensitive. In other words, it distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters when returning the position of the value to find.
The Excel SEARCH function, which is used similarly to the Excel FIND function, cannot return a position based on case-sensitive matching.
Find with Excel FIND Starting at a Specified Position
Let’s look at an example of the second Excel FIND function syntax, which finds a value starting at a specified position.
Example
= FIND(“t”, B4, D3 + 1)
The number 5 in C3 is the position of the first lowercase t. By adding +1 to that position value, the formula returns the position of the next lowercase t after that position.
Conclusion
We have covered the Excel FIND function. On its own, it may seem difficult to apply in everyday work. However, as mentioned above, it can expand the conditions of the “arguments” used in formulas and transform text, so there are many ways to apply it.
Excel FIND Function Example Table
| Text String | Text to Find | Formula | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using the FIND function in Excel | FIND | =FIND(“FIND”, A2) | Finds the position of the FIND function |
| Case-sensitive | find | =FIND(“find”, A3) | #VALUE! (case-sensitive) |
| Find a position in text | t | =FIND(“t”, A4, 1) | Finds the position of the first ‘t’ |
| Find repeated characters | t | =FIND(“t”, A4, 6) | Finds the position of the second ‘t’ |