FIND Function in Excel

Intermediate

Returns the position of one text string within another text string (case-sensitive).

Syntax

=FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])

Example

Use Case

Find the position of '@' in an email address.

Common Errors to Avoid

  • Case-sensitive - 'A' won't match 'a' (use SEARCH for case-insensitive)
  • #VALUE! error if find_text is not found
  • Returns position number, not the text itself

Pro Tips

Combine with MID, LEFT, or RIGHT to extract text: =LEFT(A1,FIND('@',A1)-1) extracts username from email. Use IFERROR to handle not-found cases. For wildcards or case-insensitive search, use SEARCH instead.

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