How to replace multiple values at once with a formula in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3),$D$4,$E$4),$D$5,$E$5)Nest one SUBSTITUTE per pair, reading the pairs from a small table: =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3)…
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
B2, filled down toB6 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in B2, filled down to B6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
Each SUBSTITUTE handles one pair, and its result is the text the next one works on, so all four replacements happen in one formula. Reading the pairs from the table, with locked references, means you can change an abbreviation without editing the formula. "Lane" isn't in the table, so the last row is unchanged.
=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3),$D$4,$E$4),$D$5,$E$5)Result"1420 Lake St"
A2"1420 Lake Street"The value in A2.
$D$2"Street"The value in D2.
$E$2"St"The value in E2.
SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2)"1420 Lake St"SUBSTITUTE: Replaces matching text.- text
A2"1420 Lake Street" - old_text
$D$2"Street" - new_text
$E$2"St"
- text
$D$3"Avenue"The value in D3.
$E$3"Ave"The value in E3.
SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3)"1420 Lake St"SUBSTITUTE: Replaces matching text.- text
SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2)"1420 Lake St" - old_text
$D$3"Avenue" - new_text
$E$3"Ave"
- text
$D$4"Court"The value in D4.
$E$4"Ct"The value in E4.
SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3),$D$4,$E$4)"1420 Lake St"SUBSTITUTE: Replaces matching text.- text
SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3)"1420 Lake St" - old_text
$D$4"Court" - new_text
$E$4"Ct"
- text
$D$5"Road"The value in D5.
$E$5"Rd"The value in E5.
SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3),$D$4,$E$4),$D$5,$E$5)"1420 Lake St"SUBSTITUTE: Replaces matching text.- text
SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3),$D$4,$E$4)"1420 Lake St" - old_text
$D$5"Road" - new_text
$E$5"Rd"
- text
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,$D$2,$E$2),$D$3,$E$3),$D$4,$E$4),$D$5,$E$5). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"Street","St"),"Avenue","Ave"),"Court","Ct"),"Road","Rd") | 1420 Lake St, 88 Oak Ave, 7 Elm Ct… | The pairs typed into the formula. Fine for a one-off, harder to maintain. |
Common mistakes
- Replacements hit parts of words: "Road" inside "Broadway" becomes "BRdway". Match whole words by padding with spaces:
SUBSTITUTE(" "&A2&" "," Road "," Rd "), then TRIM. - Order matters when one search word contains another. Put longer words first.
- Excel allows 64 levels of nesting; for long lists use the REDUCE version in the FAQ.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Replace multiple values at once with a formula
B2, replace every word in D2:D5 with its abbreviation in E2:E5, and fill down to B6.Questions
Is there a way without nesting in Excel 365?
REDUCE loops over the table: =REDUCE(A2,$D$2:$D$5,LAMBDA(t,f,SUBSTITUTE(t,f,XLOOKUP(f,$D$2:$D$5,$E$2:$E$5)))).
Does this work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Nested SUBSTITUTE works the same, and Google Sheets also has REDUCE and LAMBDA.
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.