Excel like a finance pro.
Editing shortcut
Open Find and Replace
Ctrl + H on Windows, Ctrl + H on Mac.
When to use it
Opens Find and Replace. Replace text, characters, or parts of formulas across a sheet or workbook in one go.
The shape of it
- Windows
Ctrl + H
- Mac
Ctrl + H
Worked examples
Update a year
Ctrl + H, Find "2024", Replace "2025", Replace All → Every 2024 becomes 2025, including inside formulas
Restrict to a selection first if that is too broad.
Strip characters
Ctrl + H, Find " " (a space), leave Replace empty, Replace All → All spaces removed from the selection
Cleaning imported IDs.
Repoint formulas
Ctrl + H, Find "Sheet1!", Replace "Sheet2!" → Formulas repointed to another sheet
Bulk-editing references.
Worth knowing
- Select a range first to limit the replacement.
- Replace All reports how many changes it made; Undo reverses them.
- Replace with nothing to delete text.
Where it goes wrong
- Replacing inside formulas can break them silently; check a few afterwards.
- Wildcards in the Find box match more than expected.
Related
Learn the moves here — or let Wauvel run them on your numbers.
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