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.
On this page7
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. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. Treat “find and replace 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 cells 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. Check the referenced cells, argument order and result type in your workbook. Start with the worked example before changing an input, then compare the changed result with the calculation you expected. An error value or a result of a different type is a reason to inspect the inputs and arguments.
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets support for this task has not been verified. Check the function, arguments and workflow in the target product before transferring the example. Matching formula notation does not establish identical behaviour. Nothing on this page is behind a login or a download: the exact answer is at the top, and the detail below it is there for when you need it. That is the whole promise here — the answer first, and just enough context to make it stick. For “find and replace in excel”, keep the input cells and the result visible while you check the formula in Excel. Follow the worked example and change one input at a time. The steps explain the workbook calculation; this page does not run a live calculator for that task.
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.
Other ways people ask this
This is also commonly searched as “how to find and replace in excel”, “excel find and replace formula”, “excel formula find and replace” and “how do you find and replace in excel”. They describe the identical operation, so you are in the right place no matter how you phrased it.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “how to find and replace in excel”, “excel find and replace formula”, “excel formula find and replace” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.