Text
FIND
Definition
FIND returns the starting position of one text inside another, matching case.
Syntax
=FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])
Arguments
| Argument | Meaning |
|---|---|
find_text |
The characters to look for. Case must match. |
within_text |
The text, or the cell holding it, to search. |
start_num |
Optional. The character at which to begin looking. If left out, Excel starts at 1. |
Worked example
A booking sheet stores city names. The names are in A2:A4.
| A: City |
|---|
| Boston |
| Lisbon |
| Canton |
Formula: =FIND("ton",A2)
Result: 4. In Boston the letters ton begin at character 4.
Practice
Cell A2 holds Packet. In B2, write a formula that returns the position of ck inside A2.
- In B2, write a FIND formula that returns the position of ck in A2.
- B2 should show the position of ck in A2.
Step 1 of 2
Enter =FIND("ck",A2) in B2.
ck starts at the third character of Packet, so the position is 3.
Formulas here use English function names, such as SUM, and a period as the decimal separator, in every language.
Loading the sheet…
B2 uses FIND.
B2 now shows 3.
Related functions
FIND often supplies a start position to MID, and LEFT can take the characters that sit before that position.
Common mistake
Expecting FIND to ignore case: looking for TON inside Boston returns #VALUE!, because the letters in the cell are ton.