Excel FIND Function
Chala mitrano — fIND is a case-sensitive pointer. It tells you where a letter or symbol starts inside a cell.
चला मित्रांनो — FIND case-sensitive pointer आहे. Cell मध्ये अक्षर कुठे सुरू होते ते सांगते.
चलो दोस्तों — FIND case-sensitive pointer है. सेल में अक्षर कहाँ शुरू होता है बताता है.
Purpose
Find the starting position of one text inside another. Case-sensitive. No wildcards.
Return value
A number — the 1-based start position — or #VALUE! if not found.
Syntax
Arguments
| Argument | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|
find_text | Required | The text you want to locate. |
within_text | Required | The text to search inside. |
start_num | Optional | Where to start searching (default 1). |
Version
All Excel versions. LibreOffice Calc compatible.
How to use — Why → What → How
Why: Nashik support logs store emails in one column. Seattle tickets do too. You need the position of @ to cut the domain with MID. FIND+MID remains interview gold even when TEXTBEFORE exists. Force one email-domain exercise with FIND so older laptops in the lab are not left behind.
What: FIND returns the position of find_text inside within_text. It respects case: finding "A" will not match "a". Read every argument in the table once before you type; each one changes the answer on purpose.
How — numbered steps:
- Type =FIND("@",A2).
- Enter — note the number.
- Use that number inside LEFT/MID.
- If you need case-insensitive search, use SEARCH instead.
- Wrap with IFERROR if missing @ should show a message.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, fIND("@",email) is the classic way to split name and domain before TEXTBEFORE existed.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, TEXTBEFORE आधी FIND("@",email) ने name आणि domain वेगळे करायचे.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, TEXTBEFORE से पहले FIND("@",email) से name और domain अलग करते थे.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, sleep on FIND and rebuild example 1 tomorrow without looking. That five-minute test beats rereading the whole page.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, FIND वर एक रात्र झोपा आणि उद्या उदाहरण 1 न पाहता पुन्हा लिहा. पाच मिनिटांची ही चाचणी पूरे पृष्ठ वाचण्यापेक्षा जास्त मदत करते.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, FIND पर एक रात सोकर कल उदाहरण 1 बिना देखे फिर लिखो. पाँच मिनट का यह टेस्ट पूरा पेज पढ़ने से ज़्यादा मदद करता है.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, after you finish FIND, open yesterday’s real workbook and find one place this function would have saved ten minutes. That habit turns lessons into salary skills.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, FIND शिकून झाल्यावर कालची खरी वर्कबुक उघडा आणि शोधा जिथे हे फंक्शन दहा मिनिटे वाचवू शकले असते. ही सवय धड्यांना पगाराची कौशल्ये बनवते.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, FIND सीखने के बाद कल की असली वर्कबुक खोलो और ढूँढो जहाँ यह फ़ंक्शन दस मिनट बचा सकता था. यही आदत पाठ को सैलरी स्किल बनाती है.
Download practice file: practice-find.xlsx (includes sheet About this data, practice sheets, and Answers).
Worked examples
1) Position of @
Nashik emails.
| neha@demo.in |
| omar.khan@firm.com |
Result: 5
What it means: @ starts at position 5.
2) Case matters
Letter case.
| Text |
|---|
| BanGalore |
Result: 4
What it means: Capital G at that position.
3) Lower g fails
Case-sensitive miss.
| Text |
|---|
| BanGalore |
Result: #VALUE!
What it means: No lowercase g — #VALUE!.
4) Start_num skip
Second dash.
| ID |
|---|
| INV-PUNE-7781 |
Result: 9
What it means: Search starts at 5, finds second dash.
5) Domain with MID
After @.
| neha@demo.in |
Result: demo.in
What it means: Domain after @.
6) Seattle ticket tag
Tag marker.
| Subject |
|---|
| [#4521] Printer jam |
Result: 2
What it means: Hash position for parsing.
Common errors and fixes
Notes and tips
- FIND is case-sensitive and has no wildcards.
- Positions are 1-based.
- SEARCH is the case-insensitive cousin.
- Email parsing is still a favourite interview question. Teach FIND+MID even if your class has TEXTBEFORE on Microsoft 365.
- FIND vs SEARCH: SEARCH ignores case and allows wildcards. FIND vs TEXTBEFORE: TEXTBEFORE returns the text itself on 365/2021.
- Fictional sample data only — practice amounts and names are made for learning.
- After the 10 tasks, re-read the errors table once.
- Say the business question in plain words before you type equals.
- Keep a scrap sheet for experiments so you do not overwrite class files.
- Fill formulas down only after the first row looks correct.
- When two answers look possible, write both on paper then test in Excel.
- FIND+MID remains interview gold even when TEXTBEFORE exists. Force one email-domain exercise with FIND so older laptops in the lab are not left behind.
- Revisit the FIND errors table after the quiz — most classroom mistakes are listed there.
- Build one brand-new example on a blank sheet from memory before you close the laptop.
- If a result looks wrong, check spaces with LEN and case with exact equals before changing the formula.
- Share one tip from this page with a classmate in Marathi or Hindi — teaching locks the idea.
- Keep currency symbols consistent inside a single report column even when practice mixes ₹ $ £ € across examples.
- When Excel versions differ at home and in class, write the fallback formula under the modern one in a comment cell.
- Print the revision card for FIND and stick it near your monitor for one week of real worksheets.
- When helping a junior, ask them to predict the result before pressing Enter — prediction builds judgement.
- Keep a personal notebook of the one mistake you make most often with this function; review it monthly.
In real work
Email parsing is still a favourite interview question. Teach FIND+MID even if your class has TEXTBEFORE on Microsoft 365. FIND+MID remains interview gold even when TEXTBEFORE exists. Force one email-domain exercise with FIND so older laptops in the lab are not left behind. Classroom drill: write three brand-new FIND formulas on a blank sheet using names from your own city — if you can invent them without the page open, you own the skill. Then break one formula on purpose (wrong case, wrong start, extra space) and watch the error; recovering from that break is half of interview readiness.
How it compares
FIND vs SEARCH: SEARCH ignores case and allows wildcards. FIND vs TEXTBEFORE: TEXTBEFORE returns the text itself on 365/2021.
Interview corner
- Is FIND case-sensitive?
- Yes.
- Not found returns?
- #VALUE!.
- Wildcards?
- No — use SEARCH.
Related functions
SEARCH, MID, LEFT, SUBSTITUTE
Practice tasks (10)
- Task 1. FIND @ in neha@demo.in.Hint: quotes around @.
- Task 2. Show case-sensitive miss on g vs G.Hint: BanGalore.
- Task 3. Second dash with start_num.Hint: start at 5.
- Task 4. Domain via MID+FIND.Hint: +1.
- Task 5. IFERROR around FIND for bad emails.Hint: wrap.
- Task 6. Hash position in a ticket subject.Hint: Seattle example.
- Task 7. Fill FIND for three emails.Hint: fill down.
- Task 8. Explain #VALUE! in a note.Hint: not found.
- Task 9. Compare FIND vs SEARCH on mixed case.Hint: try both.
- Task 10. Interview: wildcards in FIND?Hint: no.
Quick quiz
Answers: Q1=5, Q2=Sensitive, Q3=#VALUE!, Q4=SEARCH, Q5=1 (check after you try).
Revision card
Standalone card (no tip or photo strip). QR opens this lesson. Download the PNG and revise offline.
