Learn How to use Microsoft Excel SEARCH Function

Microsoft Excel SEARCH Function

The Microsoft Excel SEARCH function is used to get the location of a text in a string. That means with the help of the SEARCH function; you can able to return the location of one text string inside another. The SEARCH function returns the location of the first character, or you can say find-text within-text. The SEARCH function is different from the FIND function and allows wildcards, and is not case sensitive.

Microsoft Excel SEARCH Function Return Value

It will return the number representing the location of the find-text.

Microsoft Excel SEARCH Function Syntax

= SEARCH(find-text, within-text, [start-num])

Where the arguments:

• find-text: This is the text to find.
• within-text: The text string from which you find the text.
• start-num: Starting position in the text string to search from; it is optional and defaults to 1.

How to Use Microsoft Excel SEARCH Function?

As we know, the SEARCH function is used to return the position as a number of one string inside another. In case there is more than one occurrence of the search string, the SEARCH function will return the location of the first occurrence.

The SEARCH function is not case sensitive and also supports wildcards. You can use the FIND function to search the case-sensitive operation. In case the SEARCH function does not find anything, it will return the #VALUE error.

Also, remember in case the find-text is empty, the SEARCH function will return the 1 as a value. This can create a false positive when the find-text comes from the cell, and it is empty. Let us understand the SEARCH function with the help of examples given below:

Example 1: = SEARCH("A", "Angle") - This will return 1.

Example 2: = SEARCH("The", "The car in the far" ,4) - This will return 4.

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