Find any value in excel

Many times as a developer you might need to find a match to a particular value in a range or sheet, and this is often done using a loop. However, VBA provides a much more efficient way of accomplishing this using the Find method. In this article we’ll have a look at how to use the Range.Find Method in your VBA code. Here is the syntax of the method:

expression.Find (What , After , LookIn , LookAt , SearchOrder , SearchDirection , MatchCase , MatchByte , SearchFormat )

where:

What: The data to search for. It can be a string or any of the Microsoft Excel data types (the only required parameter, rest are all optional)

After: The cell after which you want the search to begin. It is a single cell which is excluded from search. Default value is the upper-left corner of the range specified.

LookIn: Look in formulas, values or notes using constants xlFormulas, xlValues, or xlNotes respectively.

LookAt: Look at a whole value of a cell or part of it (xlWhole or xlPart)

SearchOrder: Search can be by rows or columns (xlByRows or xlByColumns)

SearchDirection: Direction of search (xlNext, xlPrevious)

MatchCase: Case sensitive or the default insensitive (True or False)

MatchByte: Used only for double byte languages (True or False)

SearchFormat: Search by format (True or False)

All these parameters correspond to the find dialog box options in Excel.

Return Value: A Range object that represents the first cell where the data was found. (Nothing if match is not found).

Let us look at some examples on how to implement this. In all the examples below, we will be using the table below to perform the search on.

Example 1: A basic search

In this example, we will look for a value in the name column.

    Dim foundRng As Range

    Set foundRng = Range("D3:D19").Find("Andrea")
    MsgBox foundRng.Address

The rest of the parameters are optional. If you don’t use them then Find will use the existing settings. We’ll see more about this shortly.

The output of this code will be the first occurrence of the search string in the specified range.

If the search item is not found then Find returns an object set to Nothing. And an error will be thrown if you try to perform any operation on this (on foundRng in the above example)

So, it is always advisable to check whether the value is found before performing any further operations.
    Dim foundRng As Range

    Set foundRng = Range("D3:D19").Find("Andrea")

    If foundRng Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Value not found"
    Else
        MsgBox foundRng.Address
    End If

Let us know have a look at the optional parameters. To keep it simple, we will exclude the above error handling in the subsequent examples.



  


                       
  




Example 2: Using after
    Set foundRng = Range("D3:D19").Find("Andrea", Range("D6"<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>))
    MsgBox foundRng.Address

OR
    Set foundRng = Range("D3:D19").Find("Andrea", After:=Range("D6"))
    MsgBox foundRng.Address

The highlighted cell will be searched for

Example 3: Using LookIn
Before seeing an example, here are few things to note with LookIn

Text is considered as a value as well as a formula
xlNotes is same as xlComments
Once you set the value of LookIn all subsequent searches will use this setting of LookIn (using VBA or Excel)

    'Look in values
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("F4", , xlValues)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $B$4

    'Look in values and formula
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("F4", LookIn:=xlFormulas)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $B$4

    'Look in values and formula (as previous setting is preserved)
    Set foundRng = Range("H3:H19").Find("F4")
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $H$4

    'Look in comments
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("F4", , xlNotes)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $D$4


Example 4: Using LookAt
    'Match only a part of a cell
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("John", , xlValues, xlPart)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $D$8

    'Match entire cell contents
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("John", LookAt:=xlWhole)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $D$9

LookAt setting too is preserved for subsequent searches.




  


                       
  




Example 5: Using SearchOrder
    'Searches by rows
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("Sa", , , xlPart, xlRows)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $G$4

    'Searches by columns
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("Sa", SearchOrder:=xlColumns)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $F$5

SearchOrder setting is preserved for subsequent searches.

Example 6: Using SearchDirection
    'Searches from the bottom
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("Alexander", , , , , xlPrevious)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $D$18

    'Searches from the top
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("Alexander", SearchDirection:=xlNext)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $D$11


Example 7: Using MatchCase
    'Match Case
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("Sa", , , , xlRows, , True)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $F$5

    'Ignore case
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("Sa", MatchCase:=False)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $G$4


Example 8: Using SearchFormat
When you search for a format it is important to note that the format settings stick until you change them. So, before you use SearchFormat, it is a good practice to always clear any previous formats that have been set.
    'Clear any previous format set
    Application.FindFormat.Clear

    'Set the format for find operation
    Application.FindFormat.Interior.Color = 14348258

    'Match format
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("SA", MatchCase:=True, SearchFormat:=True)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $G$15

    'Search without matching the format
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("SA", MatchCase:=True, SearchFormat:=False)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $G$4

    'Search only for cells of a particular format
    Set foundRng = Range("B3:H19").Find("*", MatchCase:=True, SearchFormat:=True)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $B$3



Example 9: FindNext and FindPrevious
In all the previous examples, we have been looking for just the first occurrence of the search criteria. If you want to find multiple occurrences, we use the FindNext and FindPrevious methods. Both of these need a reference to the last cell found, so that the search continues after that cell. If this argument is dropped, it will keep returning the first occurrence.



  


                       
  




    'First occurrence
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").Find("Ms")
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $C$5

    'Find the next occurrence
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").FindNext(foundRng)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $C$10

    'Find the previous occurrence again
    Set foundRng = Range("A3:H19").FindPrevious(foundRng)
    MsgBox foundRng.Address
    'Output --> $C$5


If you are looking to find or list all files and directories in a folder / sub-folder, you can refer to the articles below:
Find and List all Files and Folders in a Directory
Excel VBA, Find and List All Files in a Directory and its Subdirectories
For using other methods in addition to Find, please see:
Check if Cell Contains Values in Excel

We have the table in which the sales volumes of certain products are recorded in different months. It is necessary to find the data in the table, and the search criteria will be the headings of rows and columns. But the search must be performed separately by the range of the row or column. That is, only one of the criteria will be used. Therefore, you can`t apply the INDEX function here, but you need a special formula.



Finding values in the Excel table

To solve this problem, let us illustrate the example in the schematic table that corresponds to the conditions are described above.

The sheet with the table to search for values vertically and horizontally:

Above this table we can see the row with results. In the cell B1 we introduce the criterion for the search query, that is, the column header or the ROW name. And in the cell D1, to a search formula should return to the result of the calculation of the corresponding value. Then the second formula will work in the cell F1. She will already use the values of the cells B1 and D1 as the criteria for searching of the corresponding month.



Search of the value in the Excel ROW

Now we are learning, in what maximum volume and in what month has been the maximum sale of the Product 4.

To search by columns:

1. In the cell B1 you need to enter the value of the Product 4 — the name of the row, that will act as the criterion.
2. In the cell D1 you need to enter the following:
3. To confirm after entering the formula, you need to press the CTRL + SHIFT + Enter hotkey combination, because she must be executed in the array. If everything is done correctly, the curly braces will appear in the formula ROW.



4. In the cell F1 you need to enter the second:
5. For confirmation, to press the key combination CTRL + SHIFT + Enter again.

So we have found, in what month and what was the largest sale of the Product 4 for two quarters.

The principle of the formula for finding the value in the Excel ROW:

In the first argument of the VLOOKUP function (Vertical Look Up), indicates to the reference to the cell, where the search criterion is located. In the second argument indicates to the range of the cells for viewing during in the process of searching.

In the third argument of the VLOOKUP function should be indicated the number of the column from which you should to take the value against of the row named the Item 4. But since we do not previously know this number, we use the COLUMN function for creating the array of column numbers for the range B4:G15.

This allows the VLOOKUP function to collect the whole array of values. As a result, all relevant values are stored in memory for each column in the row Product 4 (namely: 360; 958; 201; 605; 462; 832). After that, the MAX function will only take the maximum number from this array and return it as the value for the cell D1, as the result of calculating.

As you can see, the construction of the formula is simple and concise. On its basis, it is possible in a similar way to find other indicators for a certain product. For example, the minimum or an average value of sales volume you need to find using for this purpose MIN or AVERAGE functions. Nothing hinders you from applying this skeleton of the formula to apply with more complex functions for implementation the most comfortable analysis of the sales report.

How can I get to the column headings from a single cell value?

For example, how effectively we displayed the month with the maximum sale, using of the second. It’s not difficult to notice that in the second formula we used the skeleton of the first formula without the MAX function. The main structure of the function is: VLOOKUP. We replaced the MAX on the MATCH, which in the first argument uses the value obtained by the previous formula. It acts as the criterion for searching for the month now.

And as a result, the MATCH function returns the column number 2, where the maximum value of the sales volume for the product is located for the product 4. After that, the INDEX function is included in the work. This function returns the value by the number of terms and column from the range specified in its arguments. Because the we have the number of column 2, and the row number in the range where the names of months are stored in any cases will be the value 1. Then we have the INDEX function to get the corresponding value from the range of B4:G4 — February (the second month).

Search the value in the Excel column

The second version of the task will be searching in the table with using the month name as the criterion. In such cases, we have to change the skeleton of our formula: the VLOOKUP function is replaced by the HLOOKUP (Horizontal Look Up) one, and the COLUMN function is replaced by the row one.

This will allow us to know what volume and what of the product the maximum sale was in a certain month.

To find what kind of the product had the maximum sales in a certain month, you should:

1. In the cell B2 to enter the name of the month June — this value will be used as the search criterion.
2. In the cell D2, you should to enter the formula:
3. To confirm after entering the formula you need to press the combination of keys CTRL + SHIFT + Enter, as this formula will be executed in the array. And the curly braces will appear in the function ROW.



4. In the cell F1, you need to enter the second:
5. You need to click CTRL + SHIFT + Enter for confirmation again.

The principle of the formula for finding the value in the Excel column

In the first argument of the HLOOKUP function, we indicate to the reference by the cell with the criterion for the search. In the second argument specifies the reference to the table argument being scanned. The third argument is generated by the ROW function, what creates in the array of ROW numbers of 10 elements in memory. So there are 10 rows in the table section.

Further the HLOOKUP function, alternately using to each number of the row, creates the array of corresponding sales values from the table for the certain month (June). Further, the MAX function is left only to select the maximum value from this array.

Then just a little modifying to the first formula by using the INDEX and MATCH functions, we created the second function to display the names of the table rows according to the cell value. The names of the corresponding rows (products) we output in F2.

ATTENTION! When using the formula skeleton for other tasks, you need always to pay attention to the second and the third argument of the search HLOOKUP function. The number of covered rows in the range is specified in the argument, must match with the number of rows in the table. And also the numbering should begin with the second ROW!

Download example search values in the columns and rows

Read also: The searching of the value in a range Excel table in columns and rows

Indeed, the content of the range generally we don’t care — we just need the row counter. That is, you need to change the arguments to: ROW(B2:B11) or ROW(C2:C11) — this does not affect in the quality of the formula. The main thing is that — there are 10 rows in these ranges, as well as in the table. And the numbering starts from the second row!