How to Use the SEARCH Function in Excel (Case-Insensitive Text Lookup)

How to Use the SEARCH Function in Excel (Case-Insensitive Text Lookup)

The SEARCH function is a powerful Excel tool to find the position of one text string inside another. Unlike FIND, it's case-insensitive.

🧩 Syntax:

=SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num])

📌 Parameters:

• find_text: The text you're looking for
• within_text: The cell or string to search within
• start_num: (Optional) Start position (defaults to 1)

💡 Example:

=SEARCH("A", "Data")
Returns: 2 (case-insensitive, so matches “a”)

🔁 Differences from FIND:

• SEARCH is not case-sensitive
• Supports wildcards like “?” and “*”

🧠 Use Cases:

• Finding keywords in descriptions
• Locating text regardless of capitalization
• Flexible pattern-based searches

Tip: Combine with IF and ISNUMBER to check if a word exists.

Make your Excel searches smarter and more flexible with the SEARCH function!

For more Excel tricks, follow ScriptDataInsights.