Excel wildcard match string. The question mark (?): Represents a single character.

Excel wildcard match string If they are in the lookup array (second position in the formula) they are not wildcards, just literal * s in the cell values. Aug 30, 2024 · To learn all about using wildcard characters in Excel, continue reading the guide below. They represent non-specified characters to help you locate text values with "fuzzy" matches. Note- You have to organise the CC_Match list in priority from the top down. There will also be solutions covering case sensitivity. You can place these characters within the string that you are searching for, and this alters the filtering behaviour. In the example shown, the formula in H7 is: =VLOOKUP (value&"*",data,2,FALSE) where value (H4) and data (B5:E104) are named ranges. For example: Jan 15, 2015 · Because to me your question says you want to count all cells that do NOT match the wildcard string rather than count all cells that do not contain the actual ? or * characters. Comparing strings in VBA using the Like operator and wildcards. If you want your users to use even more powerful filtering options, consider allowing them to use regular expressions. Replace one or more characters in the criteria with a wildcard character. The position can be used as the index value in other lookup functions. The asterisk (*), question mark (?), and tilde (~) are the three wildcard characters in Excel, each serving a unique purpose in finding, replacing, or filtering data. Apr 5, 2023 · To use select records from a set of data based on a partial match, you can use the FILTER function with the SEARCH function. For the advanced Excel user, this function is a major upgrade. If you’re an Excel user, you’ve probably heard of wildcards. Learn how to use the COUNTIF function in Excel for partial matching, including wildcard characters, with helpful examples and explanations. You can learn how to use wildcards in VLOOKUP using the below Examples. Oct 9, 2024 · Master how to locate the first partial match in Excel with wildcards, allowing you to find data entries that meet specific pattern criteria. May 12, 2025 · Wildcards in Microsoft Excel let you search for partial matches, broaden your filters, and create formulas that reference cells containing certain strings. In this section, we’ll cover the available wildcards, for example, wildcard usage and functions that support wildcards. I am able to create the formula without XMATCH wildcards. With a bit of creativity, you will learn in this article how to perform “Begins With”, “Ends With”, “Contains”, and “Does Not Contain” search criteria, so that you can carry out more complex filtering with your dynamic array formulas. MATCH supports wildcard matching with an asterisk "*" (one or more characters) or a question mark "?" (one character), but only when t he third argument, match_type, is set to FALSE or zero. These can also be used in the Conditional Formatting rules that use the "Only format cells that contain specific text" criteria. 4 days ago · Learn how to master partial matches in Excel, from traditional wildcard characters to using AI tools for faster, more intuitive data lookups and analysis. Note that match_mode must be set to 2 to use wildcards with XLOOKUP. Wildcards are used to make more sophisticated partial matches. XLOOKUP becomes more powerful in Excel with the new match mode 3, which enables using regex patterns as the search key. For example, “a Aug 23, 2022 · Unfortunately, Excel’s Filter function does not perform partial-match or wildcard searches. In the coming sections, we'll show you how to use the wildcard characters (the asterisk and question mark) within the COUNTIF function to check if a cell contains certain text. Sections: Wildcards Question Mark Example Asterisk Example Tilde Example Referencing May 5, 2005 · All - I was doing wildcard matches [MATCH ("*"&ref&"*",range,0)]and happened to notice that it skipped an obvious correct match. Mar 24, 2023 · You can use the Like operator in VBA along with the following built-in wildcard characters to search for specific patterns in strings: * : Matches any number of characters Oct 23, 2023 · The XLOOKUP function contains built-in support for wildcards, but this feature must be enabled explicitly by setting match mode to the number 2. May 14, 2024 · Explanation Excel supports the wildcard characters "*" and "?", and these wildcards can be used to perform partial (substring) matches in various lookup formulas. So today in this post, I’d like to share with you how to use wildcard characters with VLOOKUP. In this guide, we're going to show you how to use Wildcard criteria in Excel formulas. Aug 5, 2025 · Using Wildcards instead of exact match operators can make your code more flexible. Sep 5, 2017 · I understand the basic use of the vlookup with wildcard but I'm running into a problem lately. Feb 23, 2024 · Overview of Wildcards in SQL So what are wildcards, and how do they work in SQL? A wildcard is a special character that represents other characters in search strings. The column holds a first name, last name, and possibly a middle name (EXAMPLE: John Abe Smith). Click here for details. The question mark wildcard (?) For matching text when only a few characters vary This wildcard represents any single character. Remember Excel’s wildcard characters? If we use wildcard characters with SUMIF, we can sum values using partial criteria and the good news is Feb 6, 2025 · I want to filter an array (a single line) using XMATCH to return columns based on wildcard criteria. Jun 3, 2021 · To retrieve information from a table based on a partial match, you can use the VLOOKUP function in exact match mode with a wildcard. When you apply wildcard patterns to numeric data, Excel automatically converts the numbers to text, which can lead to unexpected matching behavior. The problem was that the skipped string was 283 characters long, even Nov 13, 2023 · The added touch is, however, having to use a wildcard character to match zero or more characters. XMATCH with wildcard (exchanged order Dec 15, 2024 · I have a list of data where I have tag information where some have wildcard characters present in the tag name. What I have looks something like this: Wildcards in Microsoft Excel let you search for partial matches, broaden your filters, and create formulas that reference cells containing certain strings. Jul 15, 2024 · While working in Excel sheets, sometimes you need to use wildcards for many purposes. These characters don’t only work for XLOOKUP, but also for VLOOKUP (), any other lookup function (such as MATCH (), SUMIFS ()), and the Excel search feature. Guide to Wildcard In Excel. Apr 9, 2025 · 2. After attacking that for too long a time, I found that MATCH () won't handle strings longer than 255 characters. How to get the value of the first match with wildcards? Unleash Excel's potential with wildcards! Explore advanced formulas, solve common issues, and boost productivity by using wildcard in excel. g. For example, the % wildcard in SQL matches zero or more Jun 28, 2024 · There are several built-in functions in Excel to create a formula to check if cell contains specific text within it. This is because Excel treats certain symbols as wildcards or operators rather than plain text. I did this just by sorting on length of the match string. In the example shown, the formula in H7 is: =TRANSPOSE((XLOOKUP(H4,D5:D15,B5:E15,"Not found",2))) which performs a wildcard match with the value in H4 and returns all 4 fields as the result. Mar 25, 2022 · Microsoft Excel’s XLOOKUP () is powerful, but combined with wildcards, it’s also flexible. Beyond FILTER, it also works with other functions that use criteria or pattern matching, such as COUNTIF, MATCH, and AVERAGEIF. Lets look at the following range of cells in Excel: Jul 29, 2025 · Trying to use either xlookup or index/match look up % from table with using wildcards on the lookup value. In the below Sample I look up Wildcard characters are all about searching a text with a partial match. In the example shown, the formula in cell F5 is: =SUMIFS(C5:C16,B5:B16,"*hoodie*") This formula sums the quantity in column C when the text in column B contains "hoodie". Excel wildcards Excel supports three wildcards that can be used in formulas: Asterisk (*) - zero or more characters Question mark (?) - any one character Nov 28, 2018 · Easily sum cells containing specific text for a partial match in Excel using the SUMIF or SUMIFS function with a wildcard. Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) states that Wildcard matching uses techniques similar to Regular Expressions while handling patterns. In other words, you can use fuzzy matching with wildcards. Enter the INDEX MATCH formula in the Formula bar. May 9, 2024 · Method 6 – Insert INDEX MATCH Functions with an Asterisk for a Partial Match with Cell Text Asterisk is an Excel Wildcard Character that represents any number of characters (including none) in a text string. High-impact. Aug 19, 2025 · Learn how to look up partial text matches in Excel using VLOOKUP with wildcards, INDEX & MATCH combo, and IF for conditional results. Sep 18, 2024 · Excel wildcard is a special character that helps you find text values that are approximately similar but are not exactly the same. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. However, if you use wildcards with a number, you'll convert the numeric value to a text value. com May 30, 2025 · Using wildcards with numbers requires special consideration because Excel treats wildcard operations as text-based functions. Jun 13, 2018 · The MATCH function returns the position or "index" of the first match based on a lookup value in a range. Mar 26, 2019 · Excel wildcard characters are special symbols that act as placeholders, allowing you to search for and manipulate text strings that match a specific pattern. It allows you to perform wildcard-based searches within strings, making it a powerful tool for string manipulation and text matching in VBA. 1 day ago · The SEARCH function is ideal for basic wildcard searches, supporting flexible pattern matching but lacking case sensitivity and advanced features like start/end string matching. In contrast, the tilde is the identification of the wild card character. Mar 14, 2023 · The tutorial shows how to make Excel IF statement with wildcard text and get it to work for partial matches. Excel lets you use Wildcard characters for catching strings and perform functions on it. What is Excel VBA Like Operator? The VBA Like operator compares strings to determine if they match a specified pattern. Instead of working out complex formulas based on functions like LEFT, RIGHT, FIND, MID, etc. In the example shown, the formula in G7 is: =FILTER (Table1,ISNUMBER (SEARCH (H4,Table1 [Last]))* (H4""),"No results") where Table1 is an Excel Table that contains 100 rows of data in B5:E104. In other words, if the cell value contains the text "my specific text", anywhere in the cell value, I Feb 3, 2025 · Partial match for multiple strings - AND logic - returns all matches (Excel 365) The following formula extracts values from cell range B3:B13 if both strings are found in a cell, in other words, a partial match for both conditions. In the example shown, XLOOKUP is configured to match the value entered in cell E5, which may appear anywhere in the lookup values in B5:B15. Two hours. Jul 13, 2024 · Learn how to use wildcards with XLOOKUP in Excel for powerful, flexible data searches. For more about using wildcard characters with the Find and Replace features in Excel, see Find or replace text and numbers on a worksheet. Using Excel's wildcard character At times, you may want to use certain string matching or search functions — like SEARCH — without knowing exactly what you're looking for. The question mark (?): Represents a single character. A wildcard is a special character that lets you perform "fuzzy" matching on text in your Excel formulas. Sep 16, 2008 · Live Online Excel Training for Your Team from MrExcel. Below are the wildcards we use in VBA LIKE operator Question Mark (?): One may use it to match any one character from the string. Sep 25, 2018 · Excel supports wildcard characters in formulas to find values that share a simple pattern. Aug 13, 2024 · To create a "contains substring" type lookup formula, you can use the XLOOKUP function with wildcards. In case you'd like to look for a partial match in the IF formula (Excel IF function with text containing another word), you can't use an asterisk sign just like you would in the SUMIFS or COUNTIFS Sep 27, 2024 · When working with large datasets, finding partial matches can be a lifesaver. 1 Match Starting Characters (Value&“*”) Steps: Type the following formula in cell D16 and press Enter on your keyboard. I need to lookup a value that contained in a cell as a part of string. For example, “a ” would match “apple”, “apartment”, and “a”. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore Excel formula for Partial Matches and how to How to Use Wildcards? In this article, we will learn about how and when to use Wildcard characters or in-built regex (regular expressions) characters for excel functions. If the pattern matches the string, then the VBA LIKE operator returns TRUE or else FALSE. Nov 8, 2024 · Learn how to use XLOOKUP to match text values with the help of the 5th argument, wildcard character match mode. Jan 2, 2024 · Excel MATCH function is a lookup/reference formula that returns the relative position of a lookup value from a specified range. The skipped cell satisfied ISTEXT (), FIND (), SEARCH () and menu find efforts. The characters are used to look for a text string with the same known patterns — the beginning and the ending characters, and also, the number of characters presented in the cell. With REGEXEXTRACT, you can easily extract numbers, dates, times May 18, 2015 · I would like to match strings with a wildcard (*), where the wildcard means "any". Aug 2, 2024 · Step 2 – Combine the INDEX and the MATCH Functions for Multiple Criteria using a Wildcard in Excel Select E7. Zero travel. I currently have an Excel file with 1 column and many rows. Feb 18, 2020 · If you want to search with multiple criteria using a * as a wildcard you can use the LET function with the SEARCH to define an array you can then FILTER. Wildcard characters are special May 21, 2024 · Method 1 – Using Wildcard Combining with INDEX and MATCH Functions for Finding Data with Partial Match 1. Jan 6, 2020 · Wildcard represents one or more other characters. Learn how to use the wildcard characters in Excel with real example formulas and practice exercises. It's a bit messy but it works Apr 1, 2025 · When working with Excel, you might encounter situations where special characters such as the asterisk (*) behave unexpectedly. Using the Asterix (*) Wildcard in VBA The Asterix wildcard replaces one or more characters in a VBA string. Here we discuss how to use the three types of wildcards with examples and downloadable excel template. Examples of wildcard character pattern matching in expressions To use a wildcard character within a pattern: Open your query in Design view. Sep 14, 2016 · CC_Name is a named range next to CC_Match for the actually Cost Center code you want. Mar 14, 2023 · Everything you need to know about wildcards: what wildcard characters Excel recognizes, and how to best use them with built-in features and in formulas with text and numbers. Otherwise, you will get all words beginning with the word “Excel”. They represent non-specified characters Aug 28, 2025 · The REGEXEXTRACT function extracts text matching a specific regex pattern from a given text string. Partial match up in Excel In Excel, sometimes you find yourself with problems where you need to perform an operation over some values having criteria. I'm trying to set up a conditional format so my cells will be filled if the value includes a specific text string, but I need to use wildcards before and after the specific text string. For example, if you are looking for a string with known ending or beginning, and unknown characters in the middle, you can use wildcard characters to tell Excel to look for all compatible matches. There are two main wildcard characters in Excel: The asterisk (): Represents any number of characters. Jun 3, 2024 · Learn to use wildcards in Excel's IF Function for partial text matches, making it easy to check if a cell contains a specific word. Cells B4:E4 allow you to include or exclude specific conditions using drop down lists. In this post, you will learn how to use wildcard characters in Excel. Aug 18, 2009 · Hello. Here, I will show you how to use wildcards in Excel. Use wildcard characters as comparison criteria for text filters and when you're searching and replacing content. Note that SUMIFS is not case-sensitive. A missing condition (blank) in cells B5:E5 is not used into the calculation, in other words, it is Wildcards in Excel are the special Excel characters that take the place of the characters in it. The change is to replace this line: Nov 21, 2023 · The objective of this tutorial is to show how to use wildcards with the XLOOKUP and FILTER functions in Excel. We will learn how to perform partial matches and search for specific patterns within a dataset. The TRANSPOSE function is optional and used here only to convert the result from XLOOKUP to a vertical array. The following table shows the wildcard characters you can use with the Like operator and the number of digits or strings they match. Asterisk is used for multiple numbers of characters in Excel, while a question mark represents only a single character. How to use the wildcards in Excel In this article, we will learn How to use the wildcards in Excel. Jul 30, 2019 · Both SUBSTITUTE and REPLACE functions will select a string within your text and update accordingly. Excel has three wildcards: an asterisk, question mark, and tilde. Oct 20, 2015 · You can match with wildcards, but the wildcards have to be in your lookup value (first position in the formula). Note: In older versions of Excel that do Mar 30, 2022 · VBA language referenceBuilt-in pattern matching provides a versatile tool for making string comparisons. For example if this list was reversed every lookup with 'Credit' in it would match to General Credit- Jan 17, 2021 · Excel has two wildcard characters (“?” and “*”) as well as the tilde (“~”) in case you actually want to search for a question mark or asterisk. So you can find matches to strings like HA24B*-3-1** in your first column by using the formula: =MATCH(B1,A:A,0), but not the other way around, as your Aug 8, 2016 · How is your data laid out? I've done Index/Match with multiple criteria, but the format is different. In the Criteria row of the field that you want to use, type the operator Like in front of your criteria. =COUNTIF(A1,"*&*") Jul 24, 2014 · Learn how to use wildcards with VLOOKUP in Excel to efficiently search and match data, expanding your data lookup capabilities. This guide will explain the asterisk wildcard. I am writing a macro that has 1 textbox a Feb 8, 2019 · I'm trying to figure out a formula that helps me search a row for a wildcard text (e. Wildcards are special characters that allow you to perform “fuzzy” matching on text in your formulas. Nov 12, 2025 · In short, the asterisk tells Excel to search for any text that fits around your known pattern. There are three wildcard characters in Excel Question mark (?) May 6, 2022 · Learn how you can use VLOOKUP to perform a partial string match lookup in Microsoft Excel. The issue is with the lookup being a # that is format to general. In the example shown, the formula in F5 is: XLOOKUP ("*"&G4&"*",data [Title],data,,2) Where G4 contains a partial string to look for and data is an Excel Table in the range B5:D16. Mar 16, 2016 · How to use Excel VBA Like operator in conditional statements. However, see below for a case-sensitive option. Dec 2, 2019 · This will match blahtestingsometext1_whateverblah as well, because there are no start/end of string anchors. Attache is the excel file. While matching strings, we need to use wildcard characters to the pattern we specify. For example, you may want to search for a state that begins with the word "New" — but match against all possible outcomes, including "New Hampshire", "New York", and "New Jersey". Aug 19, 2021 · We use wildcards with the Like Operator which is an easier alternative to VBA Regex. , w*) and returns all matching values (in one or several cells). Lookup functions are great for finding values that match another value. You can use them to find and replace text, match patterns, and more. It’s also interesting to note that while you can use the wildcard characters in the SEARCH function, you can’t use it in FIND function. Dec 16, 2022 · To sum if cells contain specific text, you can use the SUMIFS or SUMIF function with a wildcard. If match_type is 0 and lookup_value is a text string, you can use the wildcard characters — the question mark (?) and asterisk (*) — in the lookup_value argument. Whether you need to match the first few characters of a string, find a keyword within a cell, or work with complex data, Excel has powerful tools like VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX MATCH, and others that can simplify this process. To do this, you can use something Oct 9, 2024 · To find the first match that contains a certain text string in a range in Excel, you can use an INDEX and MATCH formula with wildcard characters - the asterisk (*) and question mark (?). You put wildcards in functions, usually in the criteria argument, and this allows you to find partial matches for words, numbers, and characters. In the example, we pick up the value in cell E7 and use concatenation to combine this value with May 11, 2024 · To perform a partial match with XLOOKUP, supply 2 for the match mode argument to allow wildcards. May 18, 2023 · The IF function doesn't support wildcards directly, so we can't use IF by itself. In this blog, we will explore how to escape characters in Excel to ensure they are interpreted correctly. See full list on exceldemy. But, when you combine an asterisk, which is a wildcard character, you can get the student’s marks by just using a partial match. The output will always match the patterns described by the wildcards regardless of how many extra characters they have. Master asterisk, question mark & tilde wildcards for efficient lookups. , REGEXEXTRACT can target data very precisely with a single regex pattern. Excel supports wildcard characters in formulas to return values that share the same pattern. Jun 15, 2015 · 14 Wildcards aren't recognised with comparison operators like =, for example if you use this formula =A1="*&*" that will treat the * 's as literal asterisks (not wildcards) so that will only return TRUE if A1 literally contains *&* You can use COUNTIF function, even for a single cell, e. Jun 2, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use a wildcard in the COUNTIF function in Excel, including several examples. Instead, we can combine the IF function with the COUNTIF function, which does support wildcards. Wildcards are characters that allow you to make more robust functions, searches, and filters in Excel. Feb 12, 2017 · A simple modification is to add a wildcard to the end of your search string and match against all remaining characters in the original string. Built-in pattern matching provides a versatile tool for making string comparisons. Bring MrExcel to your people. I went this route for you because you placed asterisks on both ends of your pattern (*sometext?_*) and assumed that this was desired. Wildcard lookups and include or exclude criteria - Excel 365 The image above shows an Excel 365 formula that extracts records from a data set located on sheet2 based on criteria specified in cells B3:E5. For example, this formula: May 26, 2024 · What are Wildcards in Excel? In Excel, a wildcard is a special character that can be used to represent one or more characters in a text string. For Example, if you have to search exact match for “Excel*”, you have to enter “Excel~*”. . Aug 30, 2024 · The tilde wildcard character helps to remove the effect of other wildcard characters. Similarly, you can use wildcards in a lot of other Excel functions, such as IF (), SUMIF (), AVERAGEIF (), and MATCH (). All I'm wanting to do is highlight the cells with alphanumeric strings containing # or ? Jul 11, 2012 · If you want to allow _ as a wildcard, just replace all underscores with '?' (for one character) or * (for multiple characters). However, the REPLACE function replaces the string based on its position. pzcbazd kid ympovh vkg wurva mwcjse odglijj cknw qboury foofepr oiso adtypp hrccu onfu gclpfp