Case-insensitive keyword
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Note |
| 2 | Refund issued |
Formula: C2: =SEARCH("refund",A2)
Result: 1
SEARCH ignores capitals, so lowercase refund matches Refund at the first character.
Google Sheets function
SEARCH in Google Sheets
SEARCH with worked examples you can test in the live grid. The argument details are in the Excel guide.
In Google Sheets
The arguments and common errors are covered in the SEARCH Excel guide; check the function help in Google Sheets for its own argument list.
Worked examples in Google Sheets
One unknown character
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Part |
| 2 | Xabcx |
Formula: C2: =SEARCH("a?c",A2)
Result: 2
The question mark stands for the b, so a?c matches at position 2.
Finding a real question mark
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Text |
| 2 | Really? |
Formula: C2: =SEARCH("~?",A2)
Result: 7
The tilde makes the question mark literal; it is the seventh character.
Try it
A tiny spreadsheet with example data. Edit the formula or any number and see the result.
Formula in D2: =SEARCH("coffee",A6)
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Other | Result | |
| 2 | Alice Johnson | alice johnson | 6 | |
| 3 | [email protected] | [email protected] | ||
| 4 | extra spaces | |||
| 5 | SKU-2026-0415 | |||
| 6 | iced coffee, tea, sugar | |||
| 7 | Order 417 shipped |
Result in D2: 6
Google Sheets is used here only as a descriptive product name. FormulaCamp is not affiliated with Google.