The FIND function in Excel is used to locate the position of one text string within another text string. It returns the starting position of the text you are searching for and is particularly useful when working with text data that needs to be parsed, cleaned, or analyzed.
Unlike the SEARCH function, FIND is case-sensitive and does not support wildcard characters. This makes it ideal when the exact capitalization of text matters.
In This Guide, You’ll Learn
- What the FIND function does
- The syntax and arguments of FIND
- How to find text within a cell
- How to locate specific characters, such as spaces or symbols
- Common mistakes when using FIND
- Real-world business uses for FIND
What is the FIND Function?
The FIND function returns the position number of one text string inside another text string. Excel counts characters starting from 1.
FIND Function Syntax
=FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])Argument Definitions
- find_text – The text you want to locate.
- within_text – The text string that contains the text you’re searching for.
- start_num (optional) – The character position where Excel should begin searching.
Example Dataset Used in This Tutorial
You can download the sample data we’ll be using in this tutorial by clicking on this link—> FIND Function Data
Basic FIND Function
Suppose you want to find where the word “Data” begins within a text string.
Formulas Used
=FIND("Data",A2)
How This Formula Works
- Excel counts each character in the text string, including spaces
- Since “Data” begins at character 7, FIND returns 7
Finding a Space Character
A common business use is locating the first space in a person’s full name.
Formulas Used
=FIND(" ",A2)
How This Formula Works
- Excel counts each character in the text string, including spaces
- Since the space begins at character 5, FIND returns 5
This technique is often combined with LEFT, RIGHT, or MID to separate first and last names.
Finding a Symbol in an Email Address
You can use FIND to locate the @ symbol in an email address.
Formulas Used
=FIND("@",A2)
How This Formula Works
- FIND searches the email address for the symbol @
- Since the @ begins at character 11, FIND returns 5
This is useful when extracting usernames or domain names from email addresses.
Using the Optional Start Position
Sometimes the same character appears multiple times in a text string. You can use the start_num argument to begin searching later in the text.
Formulas Used
=FIND("-",A2,7)
How This Formula Works
- FIND starts it’s search at character 7
- Find the dash and counts from the first character and returns 11
Case Sensitivity
One of the most important characteristics of FIND is that it is case-sensitive.
Formulas Used
=FIND("data",A2)=FIND("data",A3)
How This Formula Works
- FIND searches A2 for data with a lowercase d
- Since FIND in case sensitive, it does not recognize “data” in A2 and returns #VALUE!
- FIND locates “data” with a lowercase d in cell A3 and returns its starting position
Common FIND Errors
#VALUE! Error
This occurs when:
- The search text is not found.
- The capitalization does not match.
- The starting position exceeds the length of the text.
FIND vs SEARCH
Although FIND and SEARCH are very similar, there are two important differences:
| Feature | FIND | SEARCH |
|---|---|---|
| Case-sensitive | Yes | No |
| Supports wildcards | No | Yes |
Example Dataset Used in This Tutorial
You can download the sample data we’ll be using in this tutorial by clicking on this link—> FIND Function Data
