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. The difference between a quick fix and a sheet you can trust is the extra minute you spend validating “find and replace in excell”. Start on a copy or a tiny sample, keep the affected cells visible, and compare the result with the outcome you expected before you touch the real workbook. 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. The point is a text operation that turns messy entries into clean, usable data, but the practical win is that someone else can open the file and understand what happened without asking you.
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. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. For “find and replace in excell”, 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
People reach this page typing “find similar or same names in 2 different excell sheets” and “find and replace excell”, among other phrasings; whichever wording you used, the fix above is the one you want.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “find similar or same names in 2 different excell sheets”, “find and replace excell” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.