FIND vs SEARCH

Both return the position of text inside other text. FIND is case-sensitive and takes the text literally; SEARCH ignores case. Use SEARCH unless capital letters matter to the answer.

The differences

Feature	FIND	SEARCH
Case	Case-sensitive: "abc" won't find "ABC"	Ignores case
Wildcards (? and *)	Not supported	Supported
Not found	#VALUE!	#VALUE!
Available in	Every version	Every version

Same data, side by side

One sample sheet, each approach in its own cell. Results are calculated by our formula engine.

Cell	Formula	Result	What it shows
D2	=FIND("ABC",A2)	#VALUE!	FIND is case-sensitive, so "ABC" isn't found: #VALUE! error
D3	=SEARCH("ABC",A2)	5	SEARCH ignores case and finds it at position 5
D4	=ISNUMBER(SEARCH("abc",A2))	TRUE	The usual "contains" test: TRUE or FALSE, no error

Try it live

Change the inputs or rewrite a formula and compare the results.

When to use each

Choose FIND when

Case matters, such as codes where "a" and "A" mean different things.

Choose SEARCH when

You want a "contains" test that works however the text is capitalized.

Practice SEARCH

Graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data.

Flag reviews about delivery

In B2, return TRUE if the review in A2 mentions "delivery" in any case, and FALSE if not. Fill down to B6.

The functions

FINDFIND returns the position of one piece of text inside another, counting from 1. Every current version.
SEARCHSEARCH returns the position of one piece of text inside another, ignoring upper and lower case, and it understands the ? and * wildcards. Every current version.

Questions

How do I check if a cell contains text?

Use =ISNUMBER(SEARCH("text",A2)). It returns TRUE when the text appears anywhere and FALSE otherwise.

Why does FIND return #VALUE!?

The text isn't there exactly as typed, often because of capitalization. Try SEARCH, which ignores case.

Last reviewed October 2026.