In Excel: press Ctrl+H, enter the text to find and the replacement, choose whether to search the sheet or workbook, then Replace All only after checking one result.
Select the range first if you do not want to search the whole sheet.
Press Ctrl+H to open Replace.
Enter the Find what and Replace with values, then open Options for workbook, match case or whole-cell matching.
Use Find Next or Replace once to verify the target, then use Replace All.
What this does
Find and Replace edits existing cells in place. Ctrl+F only finds matches; Ctrl+H opens the Replace tab, where Excel can replace text, numbers, formats or formulas across a selection, a sheet or an entire workbook. For a reversible formula approach, SUBSTITUTE creates a changed copy instead of overwriting the original value. Keep the inputs visible and clearly labelled and the whole thing stays auditable — anyone who opens the file later, including you, can see at a glance exactly what feeds the result and change one assumption without hunting through the formula. Treat “find and replace function in excel” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected formula shows up while it is still harmless. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. That turns a text operation that turns messy entries into clean, usable data into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
Column A contains product codes like OLD-104, OLD-205 and OLD-309. Select the column, press Ctrl+H, find OLD- and replace with NEW-. Preview one match with Find Next, then Replace All. The three values become NEW-104, NEW-205 and NEW-309. If you need a non-destructive copy, =SUBSTITUTE(A2,"OLD-","NEW-") returns the updated code beside the original. Find and Replace is the fastest cleanup tool when a label, prefix, typo or formatting choice repeats across many cells. Used carefully, it turns dozens of manual edits into one auditable action. A practical tip before you scale it up: build it once on a small block of test data, confirm the number against the tool on this page, and only then point it at your real sheet. That one habit catches almost every mistake while it is still cheap to fix, long before a wrong figure reaches a report or a colleague.
In Google Sheets
Everything above works in Google Sheets too. Excel and Sheets share the formula syntax used here; only the surrounding menus are arranged differently. That portability is deliberate — learn it once and it follows you between the two tools and across Windows and Mac. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. The short version of “find and replace function in excel”: the answer is at the top of this page, the tool proves it on your own numbers, and the sections above explain why it holds so the next variation does not stump you. Excel rewards people who reference cells instead of typing values and who keep inputs separate from formulas, because that is what makes a result you can audit months later. Build it once, deliberately, with the live tool as a check, and you convert a one-off lookup into a reusable skill — which is the whole point of learning the why and not just the what.
Common mistakes
- Running Replace All without selecting a range, accidentally changing the whole worksheet or workbook.
- Replacing partial text when you meant whole cells; turn on Match entire cell contents.
- Forgetting formulas are searchable too, so a replacement can change references or formula text.
- Using Find and Replace for a repeatable transformation that should really be a formula column with
SUBSTITUTE.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortcut for Find and Replace?
Ctrl+H opens Replace directly. Ctrl+F opens Find, and you can switch to Replace from that dialog.
Can Excel replace across the whole workbook?
Yes. Open Options in the Replace dialog and set Within to Workbook before replacing.
How do I replace without changing the original data?
Use =SUBSTITUTE(original,"old","new") in a helper column and keep the source cells untouched.