

Start_num is equal to or less than zero.įurther on in this tutorial, you will find a few more meaningful formula examples that demonstrate how to use SEARCH function in Excel worksheets.The start_num argument is greater than the length of within_text.The value of the find_text argument is not found.Like FIND, Excel's SEARCH function returns the #VALUE! error if: =SEARCH("e", "Excel") returns 1 because "e" is the first character in the word "Excel", ignoring the case. =SEARCH("market", "supermarket") returns 6 because the substring "market" begins at the 6 th character of the word "supermarket". Unlike FIND, the SEARCH function is case-insensitive and it allows using the wildcard characters, as demonstrated in the following example.Īnd here's a couple of basic Excel SEARCH formulas: Is syntax and arguments are akin to those of FIND: The SEARCH function in Excel is very similar to FIND in that it also returns the location of a substring in a text string. Start_num is 0 (zero) or a negative number.Start_num contains more characters than within_text.Find_text does not exist in within_text.The Excel FIND function returns the #VALUE! error if any of the following occurs:.


The formula =FIND("a", "find") returns an error because there is no "a" in " find".Įxcel FIND function - things to remember! If the FIND function does not find the find_text character(s), a #VALUE! error is returned.įor example, the formula =FIND("d", "find") returns 4 because "d" is the 4 th letter in the word " find". If omitted, the search starts from the 1 st character of the within_text string.
