SEARCH Formula — Case-Insensitive Text Search in Excel & Sheets (Free Tool)

Returns the position of a text string within another (case-insensitive). Supports wildcards.

Generated Formula
=SEARCH(find_text, within_text)

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Common Errors & Fixes

  • #VALUE! error when text exists

    Causes:
    • The search text has a different case (SEARCH is insensitive so this is unlikely).
    • Wildcard pattern does not match.
    • The source cell contains only numbers stored as text.
    Fixes:
    • Test with a simple exact match first.
    • Use * only when you need pattern matching.
    • Ensure the source cell is formatted as text.

Frequently Asked Questions

What wildcards does SEARCH support?

SEARCH supports * (any characters), ? (single character), and ~ (escape character). For example, SEARCH("A*", A1) finds any text starting with A.

What is the difference between SEARCH and FIND?

SEARCH is case-insensitive and supports wildcards. FIND is case-sensitive and does not support wildcards. SEARCH("apple") matches "Apple", "APPLE", "apple". FIND does not.

Does SEARCH work in Google Sheets?

Yes, SEARCH works identically in Google Sheets with case-insensitive behavior and wildcard support.

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