Search with wildcards excel. The asterisk (*) is the most versatile of all.

Search with wildcards excel This comprehensive guide aims to demystify wildcards in Excel for beginners, intermediate users, and advanced users alike. Aug 23, 2022 · Unfortunately, Excel’s Filter function does not perform partial-match or wildcard searches. Jun 12, 2007 · I am trying to do a find replace on formulas that include * for multiplication. An asterisk (*) matches zero or more characters. May 11, 2024 · To perform a partial match with XLOOKUP, supply 2 for the match mode argument to allow wildcards. Wildcards are special characters used in Excel that replace other characters in a formula. Excel is an incredibly powerful tool, but its true magic lies in its flexibility. Discover how to use wildcards in Excel to find and analyze data with partial information. For example, this formula: Mar 14, 2023 · The tutorial shows how to make Excel IF statement with wildcard text and get it to work for partial matches. Understanding how to use them can greatly improve efficiency and productivity. This works because the SEARCH function supports wildcards: = IF (ISNUMBER (SEARCH ("??-????-???",B5)),"ok","invalid") The SEARCH function returns the position of a match inside a text string. The TRANSPOSE function is optional and used here only to convert the result from XLOOKUP to a vertical array. You can include wildcard characters such as question marks, tildes, and asterisks, or numbers in your search terms. Jan 6, 2020 · You can use wildcards for filtering, searching, or inside the formulas. Use wildcard characters as comparison criteria for text filters and when you're searching and replacing content. Use Excel's wildcards within search and matching functions to represent unknown characters. Feb 22, 2023 · Excel's FILTER function sieves a set of data based on defined criteria. With a bit of creativity, you will learn in this article how to perform “Begins With”, “Ends With”, “Contains”, and “Does Not Contain” search criteria, so that you can carry out more complex filtering with your dynamic array formulas. How can i make it work? Jan 2, 2025 · Learn how to use wildcard in Excel for efficient find and replace operations, simplifying data management with asterisk, question mark, and tilde symbols, and master Excel formulas and functions for advanced spreadsheet editing and data analysis techniques. Apr 7, 2025 · We explain different types of Excel VLOOKUP wildcard. May 14, 2024 · Excel supports the wildcard characters "*" and "?", and these wildcards can be used to perform partial (substring) matches in various lookup formulas. Feb 18, 2020 · If you want to search with multiple criteria using a * as a wildcard you can use the LET function with the SEARCH to define an array you can then FILTER. Lets look at the following range of cells in Excel: By using an Asterix wildcard in our VBA code, we can find all the Firstnames that begin with “M” and change the color of the text to red. Apr 24, 2025 · Discover how to use Excel search and replace wildcards to simplify data management, leveraging asterisks, question marks, and tilde characters for precise pattern matching and substitution, enhancing data cleaning and formatting tasks with efficient wildcard searches. My understanding is that to search for wildcard characters in Excel strings, you must precede the wild-card with a ~ so I don't get why this formula does not work. In this section, we’ll cover the available wildcards, for example, wildcard usage and functions that support wildcards. We will learn how to perform partial matches and search for specific patterns within a dataset. For example, if you are looking for a string with known ending or beginning, and unknown characters in the middle, you can use wildcard characters to tell Excel to look for all compatible matches. You put wildcards in functions, usually in the criteria argument, and this allows you to find partial matches for words, numbers, and characters. Once you learn how to use them, you’ll find that they fit naturally into features like filters, the Find and Replace tool, and formulas using COUNTIF, VLOOKUP, SEARCH, and other smart Excel conditional functions. You can either locate the search item for reference, or you can replace it with something else. May 27, 2020 · In this blog, we would learn what are the wildcard characters and how can you use the wildcard characters in Excel to filter your data or do a partial Vlookup and many more exciting things. Aug 19, 2021 · Using the Asterix (*) Wildcard in VBA The Asterix wildcard replaces one or more characters in a VBA string. Oct 16, 2024 · In the Replace dialog, did you click the More button and check the box for "Use wildcards"? If you want to use a search expression like [R^#^#] then you should NOT check that box. Jul 13, 2024 · XLOOKUP is a powerful Excel function that allows you to search for specific data in a range or table. Aug 8, 2025 · They can be used to search for variations of a word, typos, or even unknown characters. Jun 11, 2023 · Learn how to find and replace wildcard characters in Excel as normal text using tilde special characters. Here's my entire playlist of Excel tutorials: http://bit. Sep 25, 2018 · Excel supports wildcard characters in formulas to find values that share a simple pattern. In this guide, we're going to show you how to use Excel Wildcard characters for setting up formula criteria. Here's how to use these characters in filters, searches, and formulas. However, because the closing parenthesis is a special wildcard character in its own right, you need to tell Word to treat it as a normal text character and not as a special character, so you ‘escape’ it with a backslash ‘ \ ‘ before the ), then surround that string in square brackets. Jul 6, 2024 · 5 Methods to Use Wildcard with IF Statement in Excel You can’t use the wildcard in the IF formula alone, but you can use it in conjunction with other functions. Note that with non-wildcard expressions like this, you'll need to do three separate searches for references with one-, two-, or three-digit numbers. Explore symbols like *, ?, and ~ with real-world use cases in COUNTIF, VLOOKUP, SEARCH, and more. If you’re an Excel user, you’ve probably heard of wildcards. Using wildcards with XLOOKUP enhances its flexibility, enabling you to perform partial matches and more complex searches. A guide to VLOOKUP Wildcard. Master this technique today to enhance your spreadsheets! Aug 17, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use the Find and Replace feature in Excel with wildcard characters, including several examples. There are three Excel wildcard characters (asterisk, question mark, and tilde) that can get some amazing stuff done in Excel. Jun 8, 2023 · This tutorial demonstrates how to find and replace text and values using wildcards in Excel and Google Sheets. I have viewed this question (although it pertains to Google Sheets) and tried it but I failed. Wildcard characters represent text or numeric values and are useful for finding multiple records with similar information or if you don't remember exact search values. Oct 9, 2024 · Learn how to look up a value containing specific text using wildcards in Excel, helping you perform flexible searches and data analysis. How? You can use them as a substitute for any character you are unsure about. Note: check "Match entire cell contents" to exclude partial matches (we want to count cells). Sections: Wildcards Question Mark In this article, we will learn how to use SEARCH function in Microsoft Excel. In this blog, we will explore how to escape characters in Excel to ensure they are interpreted correctly. Find Method (Excel) The wildcard character is the Asterisks (*) and you can place it before, inbetween, or after the string of your choice. Use the Find and Replace features in Excel to search for something in your workbook, such as a particular number or text string. Here we learn to use VLOOKUP with wildcards (Asterix & question mark), examples & downloadable excel template. For more about using wildcard characters with the Find and Replace features in Excel, see Find or replace text and numbers on a worksheet. Dec 29, 2023 · If you know how your search value starts or ends, but not sure about what's in between, you can find that with a wildcard search in Excel. There are three wildcards in Excel: the asterisk, question mark, and tilde. There are other formulas you can use Wildcards with so feel free to experiment. This is because Excel treats certain symbols as wildcards or operators rather than plain text. It will help you look up a value Jun 22, 2025 · Wildcard in Excel – Full Guide with Examples for Beginners to Experts Learn how to use wildcard in Excel like a pro. Wildcards are used to make more sophisticated partial matches. Mar 14, 2023 · Everything you need to know about wildcards on one page: what they are, how to best use them in Excel, and why wildcards are not working with numbers. Enter the INDEX MATCH formula in the Formula bar. Asterisk (*) The asterisk character means any number of characters in the world of a wildcard search. In Excel, you can use three different wildcards to build a formula. May 9, 2023 · Understanding Wildcards in Excel: Wildcards are characters that represent one or more characters in a search. Use the SEARCH function in Excel to find the position of a substring in a string. Here are some examples. Mar 21, 2023 · Learn how to use Excel Find and Replace to search for specific text or numbers in a worksheet or in all open workbooks. Nov 2, 2024 · Why Use Excel Find and Replace Wildcard? If youre not familiar with wildcards, they’re special characters that represent unknown or variable characters in your data. Mar 24, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use wildcards in VBA, including several examples. How to use the wildcards in Excel In this article, we will learn How to use the wildcards in Excel. When I try to do a find replace of '*12' it replaces everything prior to the *12 since the * is flagged as the wildcard Mar 21, 2023 · The tutorial explains how to use FIND and SEARCH functions in Excel with formula examples. The tilde character, on the other hand, is used to denote a wildcard In this article, we will learn about how and when to use Wildcard characters or in-built regex (regular expressions) characters for excel functions. These can also be used in the Conditional Formatting rules that use the "Only format cells that contain specific text" criteria. Wildcards can help when matching against partial phrases. They represent non-specified characters to help you locate text values with "fuzzy" matches. We also share examples for each wildcard and explain how to troubleshoot any issues. This can help in finding and replacing text quickly and efficiently in large datasets. See how to use wildcard characters in search criterial, find cells with formulas or specified formatting and more. Among these features, the ability to use wildcards in search and filter functions stands out for its versatility and utility. Unlock new efficiency and precision in your spreadsheet tasks today. These characters don’t only work for XLOOKUP, but also for VLOOKUP (), any other lookup function (such as MATCH (), SUMIFS ()), and the Excel search feature. Jun 3, 2024 · Learn to use wildcards in Excel's IF Function for partial text matches, making it easy to check if a cell contains a specific word. The following table shows the wildcard characters you can use with the Like operator and the number of digits or strings they match. Save time and avoid losing data with this helpful tutorial. Here we discuss how to use the three types of wildcards with examples and downloadable excel template. They are useful for finding values that match specific patterns and can save time in searching for data. Nov 25, 2024 · Master Excel's find and replace wildcards to efficiently search and manipulate data using asterisks, question marks, and other special characters, streamlining workflows with regex patterns and advanced filtering techniques. Learn how to use wildcard characters in Excel to save time when working with formulas. May 12, 2025 · Wildcards in Microsoft Excel let you search for partial matches, broaden your filters, and create formulas that reference cells containing certain strings. While Excel doesn't support full regex functionality, you can use wildcards with creative formula structuring (functions like SEARCH(), TEXT(), and ISNUMBER()). A wildcard is a special character that lets you perform "fuzzy" matching on text in your Excel formulas. and I want to replace all of these to be *1. Learn exact matching, pattern mastery, and how to choose the right tool. You can learn how to use wildcards in VLOOKUP using the below Examples. May 30, 2025 · Excel wildcard characters are special symbols that help users perform partial matches and flexible data operations across large datasets. Excel has 3 wildcards. Wildcards are special characters that allow you to perform “fuzzy” matching on text in your formulas. Wildcards, on the Learn how to efficiently remove wildcard characters in Excel using Find & Replace. The asterisk symbol denotes the occurrence of zero or more characters, while the question mark symbol signifies the presence of only a single character. Learn syntax, examples, and advanced techniques to find text within cells efficiently. We’ll use a dataset of Product Lists of ABC Company. Wildcards with IF function explained here with examples. Please post your discoveries in the comments below for all to share. Here’s a basic example Dec 15, 2024 · Hello Here's an easy one (just not easy for me!): I have a list of data where I have tag information where some have wildcard characters present in the tag name. This article will explain how to use wildcards with XLOOKUP, providing step-by-step instructions, examples, and best practices. One Character A single question mark (?) matches exactly one (any) character. A lot of cells that have *12, *11, *10, etc. All I'm wanting to do is highlight the cells with alphanumeric strings containing # or ? 1NSSLI001-SEL (proper name, do not Oct 6, 2022 · This tutorial explains how to use wildcard characters in an Excel FILTER function, including examples. The SEARCH function is case-insensitive and supports wildcards. Nov 21, 2023 · The objective of this tutorial is to show how to use wildcards with the XLOOKUP and FILTER functions in Excel. In this post, you will learn how to use wildcard characters in Excel. In the example shown, the formula in H7 is: =TRANSPOSE((XLOOKUP(H4,D5:D15,B5:E15,"Not found",2))) which performs a wildcard match with the value in H4 and returns all 4 fields as the result. The MS-Excel SEARCH function returns the position of the first character of sub-string or search_text in a string. Aug 31, 2011 · The tilde wild card allows you to search for words that contain a wild card - either * or ?. Apr 1, 2025 · When working with Excel, you might encounter situations where special characters such as the asterisk (*) behave unexpectedly. We will look for a specific partial text with the wildcards. Aug 1, 2024 · Discover the power of wildcards in Excel! Our comprehensive guide covers how to use them to enhance your data searches and streamline your spreadsheet tasks. However, if you use wildcards with a number, you'll convert the numeric value to a text value. May 9, 2023 · There are three main types of wildcards in Excel: the asterisk wildcard (*), the question mark wildcard (?), and the tilde escape character (~). Sep 18, 2024 · Excel Wildcard characters and Examples As we mentioned above, wildcards only work with text. Excel lets you use Wildcard characters for catching strings and perform functions on it. Aug 30, 2024 · The tilde wildcard character helps to remove the effect of other wildcard characters. Mar 25, 2022 · Microsoft Excel’s XLOOKUP() is powerful, but combined with wildcards, it’s also flexible. Whether you need to find and change Excel entries across multiple sheets, correct formatting issues, or even replace * in Excel (yes, wildcards work!), we’ll cover practical steps to save you time and frustration. By using wildcards with VLOOKUP you can win all those situations where it's hard to use VLOOKUP. There will also be solutions covering case sensitivity. It's a bit messy but it works Jan 6, 2022 · This tutorial will demonstrate how to use wildcard characters in Excel and Google Sheets. Press CTRL + F to launch the Find and Replace dialog box. The asterisk (*) is the most versatile of all. By doing so, you can do so much in Microsoft Excel which would have been impossible (or at least very difficult) otherwise. Jul 6, 2024 · In this article, you will learn about how to Find and Replace data in Excel using the Find and Replace tool, functions, shortcuts etc. Using wildcards for efficient text search in Excel: Wildcards can be used to search for specific patterns of text in Excel. When you are looking for something but not exactly sure exactly what, wildcards are a perfect solution. Wildcards with IF function is used to find phrases in Excel. Apr 5, 2023 · To use select records from a set of data based on a partial match, you can use the FILTER function with the SEARCH function. So, for example, “Ap*” will match “Apple“, “Application Use wildcard characters as comparison criteria for text filters and when you're searching and replacing content. Excel VBA wildcard search Asked 11 years, 7 months ago Modified 6 years, 11 months ago Viewed 67k times Nov 17, 2025 · Excel, the powerful spreadsheet software from Microsoft, offers a wide range of tools and features to help users manage, analyze, and visualize data. Jun 9, 2025 · Master Excel's SEARCH function for case-insensitive text searches. It is very easy to do so! Unlock Excel proficiency with our guide to FIND and SEARCH functions. You can also use it to quickly correct errors. The function does not discriminate between uppercase and … Continue reading → Sep 4, 2021 · With wildcards in Excel, you can narrow down your search in spreadsheets. . Unleash Excel's potential with wildcards! Explore advanced formulas, solve common issues, and boost productivity by using wildcard in excel. If you have numeric values, use logical operators in the formula. Nov 12, 2025 · Thankfully, Excel’s wildcard characters can help you get there faster. For Example, if you have to search exact match for “Excel*”, you have to enter “Excel~*”. Aug 2, 2024 · Step 2 – Combine the INDEX and the MATCH Functions for Multiple Criteria using a Wildcard in Excel Select E7. Aug 30, 2024 · Wildcards are some special characters that play the role of joker cards in Excel🃏. And a tilde (~). Feb 8, 2019 · Excel: Wildcard search in row and return all matching values Ask Question Asked 6 years, 9 months ago Modified 6 years, 9 months ago May 18, 2023 · IF + SEARCH Another way to use wildcards with the IF function is to combine the SEARCH and ISNUMBER functions to create a logical test. Jun 4, 2025 · The Excel XMATCH function performs a lookup and returns a position of a value in a range. Wildcard characters are all about searching a text with a partial match. Partial match up in Excel In Excel, sometimes you find yourself with problems where you need to perform an operation over some values having criteria. You can use them to find and replace text, match patterns, and more. Jun 2, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use a wildcard in the COUNTIF function in Excel, including several examples. Jan 29, 2025 · That’s where Excel’s Find and Replace tool shines. Guide to Wildcard In Excel. Jan 17, 2021 · Excel has two wildcard characters (“?” and “*”) as well as the tilde (“~”) in case you actually want to search for a question mark or asterisk. It is a more robust and flexible successor to the MATCH function. However, it doesn't allow the use of wildcards for partial matches. You will learn what wildcards are, how to use them effectively in various Excel functions, best practices, and troubleshooting tips to enhance your productivity. Understanding how to effectively use cell references allows you to create dynamic formulas that automatically update when your data changes. By utilizing wildcards in Replace With Text in Excel, users can quickly and accurately manipulate large amounts of data with ease and precision. A question mark (?) matches exactly one character. Simply placing the tilde before the asterisk tells Excel that the asterisk is not to be used as a wildcard. Mar 26, 2019 · Become an Excel wildcard wizard with our comprehensive guide! Learn how to master wildcard characters in Excel for efficient data analysis. In the example shown, the formula in G7 is: =FILTER (Table1,ISNUMBER (SEARCH (H4,Table1 [Last]))* (H4""),"No results") where Table1 is an Excel Table that contains 100 rows of data in B5:E104. Wildcards are characters that allow you to make more robust functions, searches, and filters in Excel. May 26, 2024 · Unlock the power of Excel formulas with wildcards for dynamic, flexible data searches. It stands in for any number of characters even none at all! This makes it perfect for finding and cleaning data that doesn’t fit neatly into a pattern. This article teaches you how to use Find and Replace in Excel like a pro. XMATCH supports approximate and exact matching, reverse search, and wildcards (* ?) for partial matches. Learn how to use the wildcard characters in Excel with real example formulas and practice exercises. Mar 30, 2025 · Cell references and wildcards are powerful tools in Excel that, when combined, can significantly enhance your data search capabilities. Learn how to efficiently search a range for a value using wildcards in Excel, a must-read guide for beginners aiming to enhance their data management skills. The Replace With expression should be ^& and then click the Format Aug 15, 2024 · In this article, i have demonstrated two methods including Find and Replace & Filter option in excel find * character not wildcard. Jul 20, 2020 · I would like to use the Filter function with wildcards, as shown below. One of the underrated features that every Excel user—from beginner to advanced—should master 4 days ago · Learn how to master partial matches in Excel, from traditional wildcard characters to using AI tools for faster, more intuitive data lookups and analysis. Using Wildcards in Searches One of the most common uses of wildcards in Microsoft Excel is to find characters in a workbook and, if needed, replace them with alternatives. ly/tech4excel Learn how to use Excel's Find and Replace feature to easily jump to specific data. Excel Wildcard Symbols A wildcard is a special character that Jul 31, 2024 · VLOOKUP with wildcard in Excel is done by applying single wildcard and using multiple wildcards and how to avoid wildcards is also discussed Wildcard characters represent text or numeric values and are useful for finding multiple records with similar information or if you don't remember exact search values. Mar 30, 2022 · VBA language referenceBuilt-in pattern matching provides a versatile tool for making string comparisons. Otherwise, you will get all words beginning with the word “Excel”. Jul 3, 2017 · Here's a link to the MSDN Documentation: Range. utfyn imf jnma unjjkrdl ixiu txroau jzukm dpbmt tzinu lfdoxj pkdlufj rpub nreuicg ujqh fbzeyi