Excel find and replace wildcards formula vba. And then split the found string to replace the 7 with a 5.
Excel find and replace wildcards formula vba Replace multiple values, text in formulas, and strings in cells with ease. Jun 15, 2006 · Hello, I am using the VBA replace function and wondering if I can include wildcard to find a text. If you want to restrict the values allowed in an input cell, then why not just force the user to choose from a drop-down list? I am doing a simple search engine in excel and I want to make some wildcards, for example: I have a cell where the user input the search term (only numbers) which should look like this: "123456". Here we discuss how to use the three types of wildcards with examples and downloadable excel template. Press CTRL + F to launch the Find and Replace dialog box. Syntax SUBSTITUTE (text, old_text, new_text, [instance_num Sep 22, 2025 · This effortless Microsoft Excel tutorial shall explain how to find and replace in Excel with different situations and use cases. For example, Like R?308021 There is a valid way to use a wildcard in vba. And a tilde (~). With Selection. Find (Ctrl+F) and Replace (Ctrl+H) shortcuts are not case sensitive and allow wildcards and overrides of wildcards. One of the sub routines it calls searches all the fields, and any text within "quote" is changed to #quote# Then when the user adds this text to word, they run a replace to change any text within #quote# to become Consolas font. Suppose we have the following list of foods in column A: Mar 17, 2005 · I’m trying to write a piece of code to find all full stops with a space or spaces in front of it. You can use them to find and replace text, match patterns, and more. One Character A single question mark (?) matches exactly one (any) character. e. Also, you may want to look for a specific item in an Excel workbook whether that’s a company stock inventory, pricing booklet, or academic syllabus Jan 6, 2022 · Instead of having to replace each of the misspellings of “Truck” individually, we can replace all of them with wildcard symbols. Excel has 3 wildcards. When you use the Find and Replace dialog box to find or replace a character such as a tilde (~), an asterisk (*), or a question mark (?), you must add a tilde (~) before the character in the Find what box. Jan 1, 2018 · Its still the exact same issue just illustrated another way - ie I need to replace part of a string in VBA and the part I need to replace contains a number at the end that is unknown when I do the replacement, for example replace "ReplaceMe76" with "Replaced", while not knowing the number is 76 in the string. Find(What:=("??????7?-fsa"), _ LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, MatchCase:=False, SearchFormat:= _ False) If Not FoundAt Is Nothing Then FoundAt. Find 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 a single character. For example my string is "a) Akli Amine Mohamed b) Killech Shamir c) Kali Sami Elias" and i want to replace the letter and closing brackets with a semi colon so But it doesn't work, when the VBA script passes the "^&" to Find and Replace Excel seems to treat it as a non-wildcard/variable function. What Is FIND Function In VBA Excel? The VBA FIND function is used to find a specific value in a specified range. Includes 7 VBA code examples you can use right now. Use wildcard characters as comparison criteria for text filters and when you're searching and replacing content. It works if I state. The way it is done in word is like this: Replace all using this formula: Find Apr 25, 2015 · Microsoft Excel uses the tilde (~) as a marker to indicate that the next character is a literal. It's straightforward if the asterisk string in the middle is not a string of wildcards, but the asterisk seems to cause some complication. Note: check "Match entire cell contents" to exclude partial matches (we want to count cells). Guide to VBA Find and Replace in Excel. For example, if it finds (a), it should remove it, if it finds (bb), it should remove it. See full list on automateexcel. A question mark (?) matches exactly one character. This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the SUBSTITUTE function in Microsoft Excel. Examples of wildcard character pattern matching in expressions To use a wildcard character within a pattern: Open your query in Design view. If you’re an Excel user, you’ve probably heard of wildcards. Below is what I have built so far: For Each cell In Mar 1, 2005 · Phuoc Well-known Member Joined Apr 29, 2016 Messages 1,205 Office Version 2024 Dec 26, 2022 #4 The Replace function does not work with *, but the Replace method works with wildcard * VBA Code: excel how to replace using wildcard character Ask Question Asked 12 years, 6 months ago Modified 12 years, 6 months ago Jun 19, 2015 · Replace (tmp_string, "200","350",1,1) will change any 200$$ to 350$$ irrespective of what $$ is. Jan 13, 2017 · If there are no periods among the characters at the end you could do this with a formula (and convert into VBA). An asterisk (*) matches zero or more characters. May 12, 2015 · You can use wildcard characters, such as an asterisk () or a question mark (?), in your search criteria: Use the asterisk to find any string of characters. We learn how to use VBA Find & Replace function to search for specific text or values with examples. Jan 10, 2021 · Excel VBA Find - How to search and find text within Excel spreadsheet using VBA Using Excel Find and Replace with Wildcards. In this section, we’ll cover the available wildcards, for example, wildcard usage and functions that support wildcards. Comparing strings in VBA using the Like operator and wildcards. The Find function in VBA helps us to find the desired value in the given range of cells with various permutations and combinations. Download the workbook and practice. Use SUBSTITUTE when you want to replace specific text in a text string; use REPLACE when you want to replace any text that occurs in a specific location in a text string. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + H. Use the Text property of the Find object or use the FindText argument with the Execute method to specify the text to be located in a document. Feb 15, 2024 · microsoft-excel worksheet-function vba find-and-replace Share Improve this question edited Feb 16, 2024 at 0:04 Aug 2, 2024 · In this article, you will get the 5 most effective ways to replace text in string using Excel VBA easily and quickly. A lot of cells that have *12, *11, *10, etc. Jan 22, 2025 · When doing searches in Excel, you can use wildcard characters in the specification of what you are searching. May 11, 2022 · You can use wildcards only in the find pattern but not in the replace pattern. The var part of the string is as you might guess highly variable where the other three parts of the string are fixed. Jul 6, 2024 · In this article, you will learn about how to Find and Replace data in Excel using the Find and Replace tool, functions, shortcuts etc. Jul 9, 2018 · Approach via Replace function You could read in data to a datafield array, replace the mentioned "<" data via Replace function and write them back in one statement by the following code. Nov 18, 2025 · Limitations of Wildcards in Excel While wildcards are powerful, they have their restrictions: Cannot be used in certain functions or contexts, such as in VBA with some functions that require explicit pattern matching. When I try to do a find replace of '*12' it replaces everything prior to the *12 since the * is flagged as the wildcard Mar 21, 2023 · Learn how to use Excel Find and Replace to search for specific text or numbers in a worksheet or in all open workbooks. Value Aug 28, 2022 · I tried using the Find and Replace function of VBA with the "MatchWildcard" property set to true. However, you cannot use them in the replacement text. Mar 29, 2023 · This tutorial will demonstrate how to use the Find and Replace methods in Excel VBA. Sep 17, 2009 · Getting wildcards to work in find and replace function in VBA macro for Microsoft Word Asked 16 years, 2 months ago Modified 10 years, 8 months ago Viewed 61k times Jul 15, 2024 · While working in Excel sheets, sometimes you need to use wildcards for many purposes. Forget about regular expressions -- you haven't even explained why you would even need wildcards in the Replace function. Examples of using wildcards with expressions. And then split the found string to replace the 7 with a 5. Also, the function can return either an exact or a partial match. To navigate to the Find and Replace tool, click on the “Home” tab, “Find & Select”, and then “Replace”. Replace one or more characters in the criteria with a wildcard character. Hope this will help you. Wildcards are special characters that allow you to perform “fuzzy” matching on text in your formulas. and I want to replace all of these to be *1. The following table shows the wildcard characters you can use with the Like operator and the number of digits or strings they match. I am trying to create a macro that will search through a worksheet for a particular portion of a formula and replace with something else. For example, this formula:. Download our practice workbook for free, and exercise! Jan 21, 2024 · Master Excel VBA for efficient data management! Follow our guide for easy-to-use VBA code to automate find and replace tasks in Excel. Mar 6, 2023 · benper B S Using Excel Macro/VBA to update multiple cells in multiple tabs in multiple spreadsheets SandwichGSD May 6, 2025 Excel Questions Replies 6 Views 675 May 8, 2025 Dec 22, 2015 · Hi Excel Experts, I am fairly new to VB/Macro so any help would be much appreciated. These can also be used in the Conditional Formatting rules that use the "Only format cells that contain specific text" criteria. For example, sd finds "sad" and "started". May 30, 2012 · RB (Being Entered) (Basic Rigging),DG (Being Entered) (Dogging) Currently we dio this manually with the Find & Replace function using wildcards - Replace (*) with nothing thus giving us RB,DG Can this be done in a formula so the user does not have to do this manually? Last edited by jgupte; 05-29-2012 at 02:38 AM. Oct 6, 2017 · In Excel, (using strictly formulas anyway), a cell cannot be both an input and an output. Nov 17, 2023 · I need to replace everything in this pattern "【d??*source】", where the digits can vary from 1 to a large integer. Replace. Here, I will show you how to use wildcards in Excel. Jun 12, 2007 · I am trying to do a find replace on formulas that include * for multiplication. 3 days ago · How to use the VBA REPLACE function to return the text string with a number of characters replaced (String). It ignores anything with more than one space. Examples of ”wildcard” use can be found in SEARCH and FIND among some Conditional Formatting examples. A wildcard is a special character that lets you perform "fuzzy" matching on text in your Excel formulas. See how to use wildcard characters in search criterial, find cells with formulas or specified formatting and more. This tip examines ways you can work around this limitation and use wildcards in your replacements. Wildcards are only supported in specific features like Find and Replace, some formulas (COUNTIF, SEARCH), or in Data Filters. Quickly learn how to replace or substitute substrings or characters within strings in Excel using VBA. My idea was to use the same wildcard in the replacement string, but in this case it just spells out the wildcard as text. May 13, 2019 · How to use the Find and Replace functionality in Microsoft Word. com Nov 28, 2011 · I'm trying to create a macro that would find an empty paragraph mark, followed by a section break, and replace it with just the section break. Using VBA Find and Replace Jun 3, 2024 · In this article you will get the easiest ways to find and replace using VBA effectively. Guide to Wildcard In Excel. This structure passes a string through to a "Find" or "Replace" command that searches the sheet. Feb 20, 2007 · I need my macro to find a string in a column of data and replace/remove any time it finds an open and closed parenthesis and whatever is in between. VBA Find Excel has excellent built-in Find and Find & Replace Sep 7, 2015 · This post provides a complete guide to using the Excel VBA Find function. You need to use Selection. Description Substitutes new_text for old_text in a text string. Mar 30, 2022 · The return value of the Replace function is a string, with substitutions made, that begins at the position specified by start and concludes at the end of the expression string. In the Criteria row of the field that you want to use, type the operator Like in front of your criteria. Jun 10, 2015 · Consider the string "X****Y", and how to use Replace in VBA to convert it to "X * Y". it just returns the string " (^&)" in the spreadsheet Apr 12, 2014 · Wildcards with Replace in VBA Are wildcards permissable when employing the Replace function in VBA? Specifically, I have a formula which includes a year, month and day defined and I am attempting to make the formula dynamic by keying on a cell which change the Day value (as needed). Mar 16, 2016 · How to use Excel VBA Like operator in conditional statements. Mar 25, 2025 · Learn how to record a macro to automate Find and Replace in Excel for a column, range, or entire workbook. The following examples show how to use these wildcard characters in practice. Dim FoundAt As Range Set FoundAt = Selection. For more about using wildcard characters with the Find and Replace features in Excel, see Find or replace text and numbers on a worksheet. ” But as there can be more than one space before the full stop. Jul 8, 2022 · This line of code indicates to replace the formatting of the text as well: . Jan 6, 2020 · Wildcard represents one or more other characters. This article teaches you how to use Find and Replace in Excel like a pro. In this guide, we're going to show you how to use Wildcard criteria in Excel formulas. Download Excel workbook, modify data, and find new results with formulas. Finding the pattern has been no problem, however I can't figure out how to replace the text, so that the number stays the same. Aug 12, 2024 · 4 Different Methods to Find and Replace Asterisk (*) Character in Excel. I can use a double-replace procedure using a helper character like Jul 7, 2024 · 11 applications of VBA Replace function. Jan 29, 2025 · That’s where Excel’s Find and Replace tool shines. This is the formula that I'm using: =SUBSTITUTE("blah blah blah replace this and that blah","replace*that","it is done") The formula isn't replacing the text, though, and evaluates to "blah blah blah replace this and that blah" What is going on? 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. Learn more about applying criteria to a query. To be replaced with a full stop with no spaces. i. Jul 30, 2019 · blah blah blah it is done blah using the SUBSTITUTE function in excel using wildcard characters. Format = True 'we want to replace formatting of text as well Find and Replace Only In Range Instead of replacing text throughout the entire document, or in a selection, we can tell VBA to find and replace only in range. Often you want to locate a value or text string on your Excel worksheet for data analysis and visualization purposes. Download a free practice sheet to master Excel automation! Sep 13, 2021 · The MatchWildcards property corresponds to the Use wildcards check box in the Find and Replace dialog box (Edit menu). what = “ . Mar 30, 2022 · VBA language referenceBuilt-in pattern matching provides a versatile tool for making string comparisons. Find instead of . Whether you need to find and change Excel entries across multiple sheets, correct formatting issues, or even replace * in Excel (yes, wildcards work!), we’ll cover practical steps to save you time and frustration. Apr 2, 2020 · Hi All, im new here, and working on a macro which filters and sorts an excel spreadsheet. It contains code examples for almost anything y ou want to do with VBA Find. the text before and after these strings can all vary.