Excel intermediate find extract text formula

How to Find and Extract Text in Excel?

Find and Extract Text is a Excel function that finds the position of a specified character or word within a text string in a cell.. Formula Genius generates and validates this formula automatically from a plain-English prompt.

Struggling to locate specific text within a cell? This guide will help you find and extract it seamlessly.

The Formula

Prompt

"Find the position of a specific character or word within a cell, then use it to extract text"

Excel
=FIND("search_text", A1)

This formula finds the position of a specified character or word within a text string in a cell.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

  1. FIND function is used to locate the position of a substring.
  2. The first argument is the substring you want to find.
  3. The second argument is the cell reference containing the text.
  4. The function returns the starting position of the substring within the text.

Edge Cases & Warnings

  • The substring is not found, resulting in an error.
  • The search is case-sensitive, which may lead to unexpected results.
  • Using special characters in the substring may cause issues.
  • The substring appears multiple times, and only the first position is returned.

Examples

Prompt

"Find position of 'cat' in 'The cat is here'"

Excel
5
Prompt

"Find position of 'dog' in 'The cat is here'"

Excel
#VALUE!

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the text is not found?

The formula will return a #VALUE! error.

Is the FIND function case-sensitive?

Yes, FIND is case-sensitive.

Can I use FIND with wildcards?

No, FIND does not support wildcards.

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