FIND Function

Use this function to return the starting position of a string within text.
Sample usage
FIND("D", [Task Name]4, 5)

Syntax

FIND(search_for, text_to_search, [start_position])
  • search_for
    The character or sequence of characters (string), or a cell reference you want to find within text_to_search
  • text_to_search
    The text where you want to search for the character or string
  • start_position—[optional]
    The number representing where the character or string is located in text_to_search from which the function will begin searching. If you don't provide a number, the function searches from the leftmost character.
Examples

This example references the following sheet information:

 Clothing ItemItem NumberTransaction TotalUnits Sold
1T-ShirtC0011,170.0078
2PantsC0021,491.0052
3JacketC003812.00217

Given the table above, here are some examples of using FIND in a sheet:

FormulaDescriptionResult
=FIND("a", [Clothing Item]3)Returns the starting position of the character a in row 3 of the Clothing Item column 2
=COUNTIF([Item Number]:[Item Number], FIND("C", @cell) > 0)Counts values in the Item Number column containing a C character. Rows 1, 2, and 3 apply. 3
=SUMIFS([Transaction Total]:[Transaction Total], [Item Number]:[Item Number], FIND([Item Number]1, @cell) > 0)If values in the Item Number column are equal to the value on row 1 of the Item Number column (C001), the function adds the total of the corresponding values in the Transactional Total column.1,170.00

Looking for a certain value on a sheet? Use INDEX, COLLECT, MATCH, or a combination of those to find and return specific values. Learn more about formula combinations


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