In this example, there is no need to specify the third argument (start_num) since we only anticipate one symbol in each email address. In the following list of email addresses, we might want to know the position number of the symbol.

The SEARCH function supports the use of wildcards.

If no match is found, SEARCH returns a #VALUE! error.If you want to perform a case-sensitive search, the FIND function is a better choice. The SEARCH function is not case-sensitive.Arguments stated as cell references should not be placed within double quotes.

Arguments stated as explicit text must be placed within double quotation marks.If the third argument is omitted, SEARCH starts looking from the first character of the string. Start_num - (optional) is the position number of the character where you want your search to start.Within_text - is the text string or cell reference within which you will look for your character(s).Find_text - is the substring or character you want to locate.The syntax of the Excel SEARCH function is as follows: = SEARCH (find_text ,within_text, ) It searches for a character or group of characters within a text string and lets you know where that substring is by returning the position number of the first character you searched for. The Excel SEARCH function does exactly what it sounds like.

Excel search cell containing text