Excel like a finance pro.
Navigation shortcut
Open Find
Ctrl + F on Windows, ⌘ + F on Mac.
When to use it
Opens Find. Search values or formulas, match case or whole cell, and search the workbook rather than one sheet.
The shape of it
- Windows
Ctrl + F
- Mac
⌘ + F
Worked examples
Find a value
Ctrl + F, type ACME, Enter → Jumps to the next cell containing ACME
Enter again goes to the next match.
Search the whole workbook
Ctrl + F, Options, Within: Workbook, Find All → A list of every match on every sheet
Click a row to jump to it; Ctrl + A in the list selects them all.
Search inside formulas
Ctrl + F, Options, Look in: Formulas, type VLOOKUP → Cells whose formula contains VLOOKUP
Find every lookup to upgrade.
Worth knowing
- Wildcards work: ? for one character, * for any run, ~* for a literal asterisk.
- Match entire cell contents avoids partial hits.
- The dialog stays open while you work.
Where it goes wrong
- Searching values misses text inside formulas unless Look in is set to Formulas.
- Format-based search (Options, Format) is easy to leave on by accident.
Related
Learn the moves here — or let Wauvel run them on your numbers.
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