FIND function in Excel: uses, formula or syntax and examples

The FIND function in Excel is used to find the position of a searched word or letter within a text string. It is easy to use, but you need to know the program’s tools.

Therefore, in this article we will teach you how to how to use the FIND function quickly and easily. With this, you will be able to carry out different activities in the calculation books.

Syntax

The elements that make up the FIND function in Excel are the following:

search_text: is mandatory and in this argument you must write the text you want to find.
within_the_text: is also a mandatory argument since it is the text that contains the word, phrase or letter you want to find.
: This component is characterized by specifying the character from which the search begins. For example, if you write “8”, it is an optional argument, therefore, if it is omitted, it will be assumed to be 1.

Note: This function is used to search for a word or letter within a text string. When found, it will indicate the position in which said search is located.

Details to be considered

It is necessary to highlight various aspects to take into account when using the FIND function and they are:

This function is case sensitive. Likewise, it does not allow the use of wildcard characters. To perform a broader search, it is best to use the FIND/FINDB function.
In “search_text” there cannot be wildcard characters such as question marks, asterisk, brackets, parentheses, among others.
If “Search_Text” is empty, the function will match the first character of the search string (that is, the start_num or 1 character).
It can be used “” to skip a specified number of characters. For example, if in the text string “Araguaney” you want to know the position of the third “a”, in “”, you write “4” and the search will begin from the fourth character, but without stopping counting them. The result will be 6 because it is in sixth position.
The FIND function also counts whitespace.

Note– Note that the FIND function in Excel can locate matches. If so, this function will return the position of the first letter it found.

How to use the FIND function in Excel?

In the following examples you will see how to use the FIND function in Excel. This way, you will make the most of its usefulness.

By itself

To use the FIND function in Excel on its own, you only have to do the following steps:

Open Excel and enter all the data in the spreadsheet. Remember that in one cell you will enter the text string and in another you will enter the FIND formula. In the available box write “=FIND(”.
In “search_text“, will be written “l” (in capital letters and including quotation marks).
In “within_text”, click on the box containing the text string, in this case it is “A3”.
Close parentheses and press “Enter”. You will notice that a number will appear indicating the position in which the searched letter is located.

Using initial_num

Remember that it is used to indicate from which position you want to start the search. Can be used to locate a second letter that matches. For example, in the name “Naomi Morales”, we want to know what position the second “o” occupies.

To do this, the FIND function would look like this: “=FIND(“o”,A4,5)”. Adding a “5” to it, the function will start counting from that point and will indicate what position that letter occupies.

Causes of errors

In case the FIND function returns the error #VALUE! or “#NAME?”, there is a possibility that it is due to the following causes:

This function is case sensitive, therefore the error may be caused by does not find matches with the searched letter.
In you should not specify a number greater than the length of the string as this will produce an error.
Typically, the error “#NAME?” appears when there is a typothat is, the name of the formula has been written incorrectly.

In summary, the FIND function is used with the objective of indicating the position in which a character, letter or word is located within a text string.