What it does
FIND and SEARCH return the position of text inside another text value.
Syntax or pattern
=FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num]) / =SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num])✅
5 practical examples
1
Find dash position
Locate a dash in a code.
=FIND("-",A2)Useful before LEFT or MID.
2
Extract text before a dash
Return the text before the first dash.
=LEFT(A2,FIND("-",A2)-1)A common text-splitting pattern.
3
Case-insensitive search
Check whether text contains a word.
=ISNUMBER(SEARCH("urgent",A2))SEARCH is not case-sensitive.
4
Case-sensitive find
Find exact-case text.
=ISNUMBER(FIND("ID",A2))FIND is case-sensitive.
5
Extract text after a symbol
Return text after @.
=MID(A2,FIND("@",A2)+1,LEN(A2))Useful for email domains.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not handling missing delimiters.
- Forgetting that some text functions return text, not numbers.
- Using fixed positions when the text layout is not consistent.
Related Excel examples
FAQ
Can text formulas work with Excel Tables?
Yes. Table references can make text-cleaning formulas easier to understand.