Find and Replace allows you to find specific information across large workbooks and make sweeping changes if necessary.
Contents:
What is the Difference Between Find and Replace?
'Find' and 'Find and Replace' are two different functionalities in Excel used for different purposes.
The 'Find' function is utilized when you need to locate specific information in your data without modifying it. It's particularly useful when dealing with extensive data sets where manually searching for a particular value could be time-consuming.
On the other hand, 'Find and Replace' is a tool used when you need to locate certain data and replace it with something else. This is especially handy when you need to make widespread changes throughout your worksheet or entire workbook, such as updating a product name, changing a date format, or correcting a recurring error.
In essence, 'Find' is about locating data, while 'Find and Replace' is about modifying data.
How to Find and Replace Values in Excel
Step 1: Accessing Find and Replace
First, open your Excel workbook. To access 'Find and Replace', press Ctrl + F for the 'Find' tab or Ctrl + H for the 'Replace' tab.
Alternatively, navigate to the 'Home' tab on the ribbon, select 'Find & Select' in the 'Editing' group, and choose 'Find' or 'Replace'.
Step 2: Using Find and Replace
In the 'Find' tab, input the text or value you're looking for in the 'Find what' field.
In the 'Replace' tab, input your desired replacement in the 'Replace with' field.
Click 'Find Next' to locate the first occurrence or 'Replace' to substitute it with your desired text.
Click 'Find All' or 'Replace All' to find all occurrences or replace them all at once, respectively.
Find and Replace - Advanced Options
To access more sophisticated search parameters, click on 'Options >>' on the right side of the 'Find and Replace' dialogue box. This opens a slew of settings which can refine your search or replacement.
Search Within - This option lets you specify the scope of your search. 'Sheet' means the search will only occur in the currently active worksheet. 'Workbook' broadens the search to all worksheets in the open workbook.
Search By - This feature determines the order of the search. 'By Rows' looks for your content by moving horizontally across rows from left to right. 'By Columns' does so vertically, going from top to bottom.
Look In - This setting defines where Excel should search. 'Formulas' includes cells containing your searched content within formulas. 'Values' looks for the content in the results of formulas. 'Comments' finds your content in cell comments.
Match Case - When this box is checked, your search becomes case-sensitive. For example, a search for "apple" will not find "Apple" or "APPLE".
Match Entire Cell Contents - If selected, this option ensures the search will only find cells that entirely match your search content. For instance, if you search for "cat", Excel will not return cells that contain "catalog" or "scatter".
Format - This powerful feature enables you to find and replace based on cell formatting. Click 'Format...' to define the formatting you're searching for, or 'Choose Format From Cell...' to select a cell and use its format. In the 'Replace' tab, you can define the replacement format.
Example
How to Find and Replace Multiple Values
Suppose you have a workbook containing the sales data of a fruit store, and you want to find all instances of "Melon" sold and replace it with "Watermelon", but only on the current worksheet.
1. Press Ctrl + H to open the 'Replace' tab.
2. In 'Find what', type "Melon". In 'Replace with', type "Watermelon".
3. Click 'Options >>' to reveal advanced settings.
4. Ensure 1. 'Search Within' is set to 'Sheet', 2. 'Look In' is set to 'Formulas', and 3. 'Match Case' and 'Match Entire Cell Contents' are unchecked (unless you want a case-sensitive search or to match the entire cell content).
5. Click 'Replace All'.
Excel will replace all instances of "Melon" with "Watermelon" in the active worksheet, saving you from manually updating each cell.
The 'Find and Replace' tool is versatile, but always ensure you're searching within the correct scope and with the right settings to avoid unintended changes.