Open Find and Replace with Ctrl+H

The fastest way to open Find and Replace in Excel is to press Ctrl+H on your keyboard. This works in Excel on Windows, Mac, and in the web version. A dialog box will appear with two main fields: one for what you want to find, and one for what you want to replace it with.

If you are using a Mac, the shortcut is Command+H instead. The dialog looks the same and works the same way. You can also reach Find and Replace through the menu: click the Home tab, then in the Editing group on the right side, click Find & Select, then Replace.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Ctrl+H (or Command+H on Mac) to open the Find and Replace dialog when ready.
  • Type what you want to find in the first field and what you want to replace it with in the second field, then click Replace All to change every instance at once.
  • Use "Match entire cell contents" if you want to replace only cells that contain exactly what you typed, not cells where that text appears alongside other words.
  • Click "Replace" one at a time to review each change before it happens, or click "Replace All" to change everything in one action.
  • You can undo any replacement by pressing Ctrl+Z when ready after, even if you replaced hundreds of cells at once.

Type Your Search Term and Replacement Text

In the "Find what:" field, type the text or number you want to search for. In the "Replace with:" field, type what you want it to become. For example, if you want to change all instances of "John" to "Jonathan", you would type "John" in the first field and "Jonathan" in the second.

You do not need to fill in the entire cell—Excel will find and replace partial matches by default. If a cell contains "John Smith", searching for "John" will find it. If you want to replace only cells that contain exactly "John" and nothing else, check the box labeled "Match entire cell contents" before you proceed.

Choose Between Replace and Replace All

Once you have entered your search term and replacement text, you have two options. Click Replace to change one cell at a time. Excel will highlight the first match, and you can decide whether to replace it or skip it and move to the next match. This is slower but safer if you want to review each change.

Click Replace All to change every match in the entire sheet (or in your selected range) in one action. Excel will tell you how many replacements it made. Use Replace All when you are confident the search term will only match what you actually want to change. If you make a mistake, press Ctrl+Z when ready to undo all the replacements at once.

Limit Your Search to a Specific Range or Sheet

By default, Find and Replace searches your entire workbook—all sheets and all cells. If you want to search only part of your spreadsheet, select that range first before you open Find and Replace. Highlight the cells you want to search, then press Ctrl+H. The dialog will show "Search" set to "By Rows" or "By Columns", and it will only look within your selection.

If you want to search only the current sheet instead of the entire workbook, click the "Options" button to expand the dialog. Look for the "Search" dropdown and change it from "Workbook" to "Sheet". This prevents Find and Replace from looking at other sheets in the same file, which is useful if you have multiple sheets with different data.

Use Match Case and Other Options for Precise Searches

The "Options" button in the Find and Replace dialog reveals additional settings. Check "Match case" if you want to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters—for example, to replace "john" but not "John". This is useful when you are working with data where capitalization matters.

Check "Match entire cell contents" to replace only cells that contain exactly what you typed, with nothing else in the cell. For example, if you search for "cat" with this option checked, it will find a cell containing only "cat" but not a cell containing "cat food" or "the cat". You can also search within formulas instead of just the displayed values by checking "Search in: Formulas" instead of "Values".

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is clicking Replace All without reviewing what will change. If your search term appears in places you did not expect, you can end up replacing text you wanted to keep. Always use Replace one at a time the first time you search for something, or select a small range first to test.

Another mistake is forgetting that Find and Replace is case-insensitive by default. If you type "smith" in the search field, it will find "Smith", "SMITH", and "smith" all the same way. If you need to replace only one version, check "Match case" before you proceed. Also remember that Find and Replace works on the text inside cells, not on cell formatting—if you want to change cell colors or fonts, you need to use Find & Replace with formatting options, which is a separate feature.

Undo a Replacement If You Change Your Mind

If you click Replace All and then realize you made a mistake, press Ctrl+Z when ready. This will undo every replacement, even if you replaced hundreds of cells. You can undo multiple times to step back through your recent actions. This works as long as you have not saved the file—once you save, the undo history is cleared.

If you have already saved and want to undo replacements, you will need to use the file's version history if you are working in Excel Online, or reopen the file without saving if you are using Excel on your computer. For this reason, it is a good habit to save your file before doing a large Replace All operation, so you have a backup copy if something goes wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Find and Replace with formulas?

Yes. By default, Find and Replace searches the values displayed in cells. To search inside formulas instead, click Options, then change "Search in:" from "Values" to "Formulas". This is useful if you want to find and replace a cell reference or a function name within your formulas.

What if I want to replace something with nothing (delete it)?

Leave the "Replace with:" field empty and click Replace All. Excel will remove every instance of your search term. For example, to remove all spaces from a column, search for a space character and leave the replacement field blank.

Does Find and Replace work across multiple sheets?

Yes, by default it searches your entire workbook. If you want to search only the current sheet, click Options and change "Search" from "Workbook" to "Sheet". If you want to search only certain sheets, you will need to do the replacement on each sheet separately.

Can I undo Find and Replace after I close the dialog?

Yes, as long as you have not saved the file. Press Ctrl+Z to undo the replacement. If you have already saved, you cannot undo it through the normal undo function—you would need to reopen the previous version of the file if you saved a backup.

What does "Match entire cell contents" actually do?

It makes Find and Replace match only cells that contain exactly what you typed, with nothing else. Without this option checked, searching for "cat" finds "cat", "cats", "concatenate", and "the cat". With it checked, searching for "cat" finds only cells containing exactly "cat" and nothing more.