Function: FIND

Excel FIND function returns an integer that represents the position of a specified character or substring, within a text. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to use Excel FIND function, and also go over some tips and error handling methods.

Supported versions

All Excel versions

FIND Syntax

FIND(find_text, within_text, start_num)

Arguments

find_text	The character or the substring you want to find.
within_text	The text that contains the character or substring you want to find.
start_num	Optional. The position of the character that you want to start the search. If omitted, the function starts looking from the first character.

Examples

Example 1

=FIND("a","Charizard")

formula returns 3 for position of the first occurrence of the character "a". The start_num argument is omitted to make the function start from the first character.

Example 2

=VLOOKUP(O5,B2:L16,3,TRUE)

formula returns 7 for position of the first occurrence of the character "a" after the 4^th character.

Example 3

=FIND("zard","Charizard")

returns 6 for position of the first occurrence of the string "zard".

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Tips

Excel FIND function is case-sensitive and does not support wild cards.
Use the SEARCH function for non-case sensitive searches. You can also use wild cards with this formula.
You can combine the FIND function with LEFT, MID, and RIGHT functions to locate and parse substrings.

Issues

#VALUE!

You will see a #VALUE! error if find_text is not found in the within_text range.