# Finding Data

Course: [Excel](https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/excel) · Section: Data Management
Source: https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/excel/data-management/finding-data

> Find text and numbers, replace values safely, and replace formatting.

Big sheets can have thousands of rows. Scrolling to find one customer or one order number takes time, and fixing the same mistake in 200 cells by hand is even harder. **Find** and **Replace** can do both in seconds. In this lesson, you will find text and numbers, replace values, and replace formatting.

Open the **Excel sandbox** and follow along.

## Find text

1. Press **Ctrl + F**, or go to **Home** > **Find & Select** > **Find**.
2. Type what you want to find, such as `Nairobi`.
3. Click **Find Next** to move to the next match. Keep clicking to move through the matches.
4. **Find All** lists every match, so you can click one and jump to it.

**Options** make searches more exact:

| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Match case** | `Nairobi` will not match `NAIROBI` |
| **Match entire cell contents** | `Ann` will not match `Joanna` |
| **Within: Sheet / Workbook** | Search only this sheet, or every sheet |
| **Look in: Formulas / Values** | Search the formulas, or the results they show |

**Match entire cell contents** helps prevent unexpected matches. If you search for `5` without it, Excel can find cells like `15`, `52`, and `500`.

## Find numbers

Find also works for numbers. For example, search for `250` to find every cell that contains 250.

Be careful with formatted numbers. A cell that shows `$1,500.00` actually stores `1500`. Search for **`1500`** with **Look in: Values**, not the currency formatting.

## Replace values

**Replace** finds one value and changes it to another.

1. Press **Ctrl + H**, or go to **Home** > **Find & Select** > **Replace**.
2. In **Find what**, type the old value, such as `Nairobbi`.
3. In **Replace with**, type the new value, such as `Nairobi`.
4. Click **Replace** to change one match at a time, or **Replace All** to change every match.

**Replace All** can change more cells than you expect, especially with short search text. Replacing `10` with `12` also changes `100` to `120` and `310` to `312`. Turn on **Match entire cell contents**, or use **Replace** one match at a time.

## Replace formatting

Replace can also change **formatting**:

1. Open **Replace** (**Ctrl + H**) and click **Options**.
2. Next to **Find what**, click **Format** and choose the formatting to find, such as a yellow fill.
3. Next to **Replace with**, click **Format** and choose the new formatting, such as a green fill.
4. Leave both text boxes empty to match any value, then click **Replace All**.

Replacing formatting is an Excel feature. If the sandbox's Replace dialog does not have a **Format** button, select the cells you want and change their formatting directly, or use **Format Painter** to copy the style from one cell to others.

## Common mistakes

| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Short search text with Replace All | Values inside other values change | Undo, then use **Match entire cell contents** |
| Searching formatted text like `$1,500` | No match is found | Search for `1500` |
| Find seems to miss matches | It is searching one sheet only | Set **Within** to **Workbook** |
| Searching formulas instead of values | Calculated results are not found | Set **Look in** to **Values** |
| Typo in Find what | “We couldn’t find what you were looking for” | Check the spelling, or search for part of the word |

## Exercise

Click **Reset** in the sandbox header. Type this list in **A1:B6**:

- `City`, `Orders`
- `Nairobbi`, `120`
- `Mombasa`, `85`
- `Nairobbi`, `95`
- `Kisumu`, `60`
- `Nairobbi`, `110`

Then do each task and press **Check** or **Mark as done**.

## What to remember

- **Ctrl + F** finds; **Ctrl + H** replaces.
- **Match case** and **Match entire cell contents** make searches more exact.
- Search for stored numbers (`1500`), not formatted ones (`$1,500.00`).
- **Replace All** is fast but can surprise you; check first, and undo if needed.
- Excel can replace **formatting** with the **Format** buttons in Replace.

In the next lesson, you will sort data alphabetically, by number, and by several columns at once.