4 Easy Ways to Search in Google Sheets (With Examples)
As a spreadsheet user, you may often see yourself sifting through data rows to find a specific keyword. On smaller spreadsheets, doing this manually is easy. However, with large spreadsheets, this becomes close to impossible.
Thankfully, Google Sheets has several built-in functions that allow you to easily search for data in your spreadsheets.
4 Ways to Search in Google Sheets
There are multiple ways that you can search text in your spreadsheet. We will discuss some of them extensively here. Google Sheets allows you to use formulas and some built-in functions to search text in your spreadsheets. Here are some methods you can use to search text in your spreadsheet.
The ways to search in Google Sheets we’ll cover in this guide are:
Each performs slightly differently, so checking them all out will help you find the perfect way to search Google Sheets depending on your specific needs. Whether you’re just starting out on spreadsheets or are anexperienced entrepreneur, learning to search is a very important skill for Google Sheets.
1. The Find and Replace Tool
This feature is built into Google Sheets and looks through the spreadsheet to find the keyword you provide. It provides a few advantages over using formulas to achieve the same purpose, the most prominent of which is case matching. It is also one of the bestbasic tools in Google Sheets.
To access theFind and Replace feature in Google Sheets:
Alternately, you can use theCtrl + Hkeyboard shortcut on Windows to do the same thing. On macOS, the shortcut isCmd + Shift + H.
In the above example, we can find the cells that contain the word “Pencil”. In the Find and Replace window, you will see two text boxes:FindandReplace with. In theFindtext box, enter your keyword. If you have multiple sheets, chooseAll sheetsin theSearchoption.
Finally, click on theFindbutton. This will take you to the first instance of the text in the spreadsheet. You can repeatedly press the button to traverse the spreadsheet to find the keyword.
Alternatively, if you don’t plan to replace any data, and you don’t need any of the advanced search features, then use theFindfeature instead. you’re able to access this by using theCtrl + Fshortcut in Windows. For macOS users, the shortcut isCmd + F.
2. The FIND Function
it’s possible to use this formula to find the position where the string is first detected in the text. This formula is case-sensitive, so ensure the text you enter the formula has the proper case. Here is the syntax for the formula:
The formula uses three arguments. These are:
In this example, we have a sentence in cellA2. We wish to find the word fox there. Here are the steps to do so:
One thing to note is that this formula is case-sensitive. So if you write “Fox” instead of “fox” then the formula won’t work. If you’re looking for a similar function that isn’t case-sensitive, you can use the SEARCH formula.
Note:If you’re confused by the numerical result in the example, remember the FIND function notes the location of the string, in our case, fox. You’ll notice that the f in fox is the 17 character in the cell (including spaces) hence the result of 17.
3. The SEARCH Function
The SEARCH formula is almost identical to the FIND formula. Here is the syntax for the formula:
As you can see, the SEARCH formula uses the same parameters as the FIND formula. We will use a different case for the search text to demonstrate this formula. Here are the steps to use the SEARCH formula.
4. The MATCH Function
The MATCH function outputs the position of a value in a defined cell range that matches a value specified by the user. Here is the syntax for the formula:
The formula uses three parameters. These are:
In the type parameter, you can choose to enter either1,0, or-1.
Here are the steps you need to follow to use a MATCH formula:
The result is 1 as the first instance of “Desk” is in the first row of the range.
Keeping Searching for Ways to Improve Your Spreadsheet Skills
Aside from SEARCH and FIND, these functions work quite differently and are best used in different scenarios. Familiarize yourself with all of them for the best results in your spreadsheets. Mastering as many Google Sheets functions as possible will have you using the software like a pro in no time.
Want to get the most out of Google Sheets? Here’s how to use Google Sheets like a pro to get things done quickly and easily.
The key is not to spook your friends with over-the-top shenanigans.
I gripped my chair the entire time—and then kept thinking about it when the screen turned off.
Not all true crime is about hacking, slashing, and gore.
Free AI tools are legitimately powerful; you just need to know how to stack them.
Lose your laptop without this feature, and you’ll wish you had turned it on.
