Google sheets substitute wildcard To use wildcards, simply include a wildcard symbol in your search string. Visit and Download our practice book, modify data, and exercise. By the time you type in sub you probably get the autofill to get it in the cell without having to type the whole thing. The SUBSTITUTE function is very handy to replace strings. (Running Find/Replace on the new data every week would be tedious & error-prone) Mar 8, 2022 · I tried the simpliest thing: But if I did this: the expression was TRUE. Wildcard characters can be used in a variety of ways to create more flexible search You can use the wildcard characters: question mark (?) and asterisk (*), in search_for. Excel uses the wildcards * (asterisk) and ? (question mark). Have had no luck with (*) or (?). Master the three crucial wildcard characters today! Oct 31, 2023 · Find and Replace Wildcard Unfortunately, Google Sheet’s Find and Replace dialogue box does not support fine-tuning searches utilising wildcards. Along with the built-in Find and Replace tool in Google Sheets, you can use a function to substitute text in your spreadsheet, and there's more than one to get the job done. Using Google Sheets wildcards can be a little tricky. The SUBSTITUTE formula is a powerful and versatile tool for working with text in Google Sheets. Guide to What Is SUBSTITUTE In Google Sheets. I (F/31) am a total noob with spreadsheets, but I'm trying to use Google sheets to sort a list of email address by unique domain names. Unofficial. So it seems the * character does not behave as a wildcard. Learn practical applications for clean and organized data. So today, we will answer a few questions and discuss a few points focusing on whether we can use Find and Replace with a wildcard in Google Sheets. The most commonly used wildcard characters include the asterisk (*), which is used to match any characters within a string, and the question mark (?), which is used to match a single character. Since the prefix is constant, it sounds like you could create a column that strips it from the values using SUBSTITUTE, then match according to that list. You'll learn how to do search & replace without using formula & using functions SUBSTITUTE & REGEXREPLACE for Jun 21, 2020 · The SUBSTITUTE Function in Google Sheets is useful for situations where you need to replace existing text with new text. Apr 7, 2025 · Master the SUBSTITUTE function in Google Sheets to replace text dynamically. Jun 2, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use the SUBSTITUTE function in Excel with wildcard characters, including examples. Google Sheets wildcard parameter in Find & Replace. You'll have to build up a solution by using FIND to locate the first word and the last word, then probably use REPLACE. Apr 27, 2022 · When you're working with a text string in Google Sheets, you have a few ways to substitute that text without manually changing the string. Select the text whose Visit the Learning Center Using Google products, like Google Docs, at work or school? Try powerful tips, tutorials, and templates. Regular expressions are special patterns that can match complex strings of text. Jul 14, 2020 · Knowing how to use wildcard characters in Google Sheets is useful when you want to represent or replace single or multiple other characters in Google Sheets functions. Aug 16, 2023 · Google Sheets wildcard is frequently used in SUMIF, COUNTIF and VLOOKUP functions to make the functions more efficient. Replace some or all of them at once, color or format found cells, delete or export the results to a Oct 31, 2023 · Google Sheets formulae can use wildcard characters to return numbers with the same pattern. The Find and replace feature in Google Sheets does not treat asterisks or question marks as wildcards, so there’s no need to use the tilde when replacing those characters. =filter (webhook!a2:t1000,webhook!t2:t1000=*max*) any help would be awesome, it has to use the wilcard as the cells contain hi max or max from. Or you could try XMATCH, which has a wildcard option. Hello, is there a wildcard character that can be used in a google doc find and replace task? Hello, I'm trying to remove a part of an HTML-formatted text in Google sheets in bulk. Find and replace characters using Google Sheets formulas Now let's see if there are functions for the job. Enter in the SUBSTITUTE function, the cell containing the text, the string of characters to search for, and the replacement string of characters: =SUBSTITUTE(A2," / "," ") Then drag down: All " / " have been replaced correctly. But guess what? We have put together a comprehensive show you how to use it. You can use these wildcard characters to replace other characters. Being able to use Wildcards with different functions in Google Sheets is an extremely useful skill to have. By using the percentage symbol %, you are able to use it as a wildcard character in formulas using the Google Sheets Query. Learn to work on Office files without installing Office, create dynamic project plans and team calendars, auto-organize your inbox, and more. For both type of questions there are ample solutions on this site. In your simplified example, if you went to find / replace and typed in: Find What: Blabla* Replace With: Blabla That would do the trick and remove anything following Blabla. I would like to remove all <iframe> open and close tags, and all in between. The array constant method that you may be familiar with in Excel won't work here. Google Sheets Find and Replace with Functions or Without SUBSTITUTE What i'd like is a wildcard which just searches for ' values ' and then puts '1. Guide to What Is Wildcard In Google Sheets. It allows you to quickly and easily search for and replace specific text strings in a cell or range of cells. What is the problem here? Discover how to use SUBSTITUTE in Google Sheets to clean, standardize, and transform data efficiently. Jul 10, 2019 · Help Center Community Gemini in Docs Editors Google Docs Editors Privacy Policy Terms of Service Community Policy Community Overview This help content & information May 29, 2020 · Google Sheets (but not Excel) has a handy formula, REGEXREPLACE, that will let you do what you need: =SUBSTITUTE(REGEXREPLACE(A1,"<b>|</b>| ",""),"★","•") If you need to remove any more characters, just add them after the checkmark, separated by |. Google Sheets SUBSTITUTE function This first function literally searches for a Jan 12, 2013 · Using wildcards for find and replace I have a script that writes back info when staff logon, I then take that info and tweak it slightly to use as the description for the computers in AD. A wildcard is a character in Excel that can be used in place of another character. Jul 30, 2019 · The SUBSTITUTE formula doesn't work with wildcards. Scan your data for values, specific formatting, formulas, notes, hyperlinks, or even errors. Help and support with your functions, formulas, formatting, and Apps Scripts macros in Google Sheets. Sep 16, 2017 · Wildcards in Google Sheets We can learn how to use the three wildcard characters mentioned above in Google Sheets formulas, rather than in the search or find and replace command I am using the basic forms of two Google Sheets functions in the examples to help you understand the use of wildcards in Google Sheets. Nov 7, 2023 · Wildcard characters are special characters used in Google Sheets Query to substitute for one or more characters. The REPLACE function is beneficial when you want to substitute a part of the text with a different text. The SUBSTITUTE Function works exactly the same in Google Sheets as it does in Excel. Whether you're correcting data, cleaning up entries, or manipulating text, the SUBSTITUTE function simplifies the task. Wildcards are symbols that can represent any character or set of characters. If you are interested in Power Tools, please use this link for di Jun 3, 2023 · The SUBSTITUTE Function works the same in Google Sheets as it does in Excel. Feb 20, 2025 · Learn how to use wildcards in Google Sheets to find, count, and sum data more efficiently. Nov 21, 2025 · Learn how to use Google Sheets find and replace to make bulk changes in your spreadsheets easily. This help content & informationGeneral Help Center experienceSearch Help and support with your functions, formulas, formatting, and Apps Scripts macros in Google Sheets. Learn how to search with wildcards, look in notes, and export search results to a new sheet. Apr 6, 2023 · Wildcards can be a staple when it comes to customizing searches in any Google workplace application. Jun 8, 2023 · This tutorial demonstrates how to find and replace text and values using wildcards in Excel and Google Sheets. Step-by-step instructions and visual aids will be provided to help you better understand how to apply the SUBSTITUTE function in your day-to-day work. We learn how to use it to improve searches with different functions like SUMIF using examples. Has anyone ever had a similar problem and/or found a fix for this? Aug 10, 2023 · 3 Suitable Example to use QUERY Function with Wildcard in Google Sheets. Nov 19, 2020 · Every week I receive data incorrectly formatted, so I have a column which translates it into the correct format using SUBSTITUTE. A question mark matches any single character; an asterisk matches any sequence of characters. Read more in-depth information on using the SUBSTITUTE function In this article, you will learn how to utilize the REPLACE formula in Google Sheets. Does anyone have Jul 1, 2022 · Combining a Cell Reference and Wildcard as Criterion in Google Sheets CountIf Formula Asked 3 years, 5 months ago Modified 9 months ago Viewed 11k times May 1, 2017 · If so, that makes your question a compounded question asking (1) how to make a wildcard search and then (2) asking how to cycle a list with a loop. May 18, 2016 · How would I "REPLACE" the wildcard text found with the same text set in all caps? Apr 7, 2018 · Learn how to use Find and Replace in Google Sheets, from basic to advanced tutorial. In this guide, you will learn how the SUBSTITUTE function can be applied to a variety of scenarios. Sep 19, 2023 · Replace Symbols is part of Power Tools that you can test for free with 40+ other time-savers right in your Google Sheets. Jul 23, 2023 · How to use the SUBSTITUTE function in Google Sheets Written by Corey Bustos Updated on July 23, 2023 in Apr 6, 2023 · We can easily substitute multiple values in Google Sheets by using nested SUBSTITUTE functions as well as using a VLOOKUP formula. Learn simple and advanced text replacement techniques now! The SUBSTITUTE function here needs to replace the characters " / " within the cells of the first column with a space " ". "*Steve*"), but I also don't want to add asterisks to the beginning and end of each name in the name list. Jan 9, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use the FILTER function with a wildcard in Google Sheets, including an example. This list is for Google Docs alternatives, so we are only going to review the free version that can replace Google Docs. How to Use REPLACE formula in Google Sheets Type “=REPLACE” or navigate to the “Insert” tab (or “Functions” icon) → “Function” → “TEXT” → “REPLACE”. 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. Nov 25, 2025 · Learning which Google Sheets Wildcard to use and when can seem daunting, but this guide makes it simple. The SUBSTITUTE function in Google Sheets is a powerful tool to replace existing text with new text in a string. Sep 2, 2025 · Google Sheets’ Find and Replace feature supports the use of wildcards and regular expressions. Dec 21, 2018 · Google Sheets has a unique way to apply SUMIFS with OR condition (logic). Here, I’ll demonstrate 7 examples to use the SUBSTITUTE function in Google Sheets. In this article, we will discuss how to use Wildcard with IF condition in Google Sheets. Find and Replace in Google Sheets does not treat asterisks or question marks as wildcards, so there’s no need to use a tilde when replacing those characters. This tutorial demonstrates how to find and replace text and values using wildcards in Excel and Google Sheets. This help content & informationGeneral Help Center experienceSearch I want to use asterisk wildcards for a partial search (e. Most of the info on this topic applies to URLs and Formulas - but I need wildcards for simple searches of content within the cells of a sheet. We'll also cover some handy alternatives. My idea which works in Excel is to use F&R to change the first names in the email address (anything before @ sign) by using "*@" to a blank space, and that way I would just be left with domains and can use the CountUnique formula from there. In this article, you will learn what wildcard characters are and how to use them in Google Sheets. And yes, there are 3 special functions to find and replace Google Sheets characters. A handy tree view lets you navigate between the found records easily. We learn how to use it to substitute values along with its syntax and detailed examples. I tried using SUBSTITUTE (XXX1,"<iframe>*</iframe>","") and some variations of that but nothing seems to work. . Wildcards can help you maximize your search results. Oct 18, 2022 · What can you use as a wildcard in a Google SHEETS "Ctrl-F" search I often need to search large spreadsheets for words or phrases. Nov 4, 2022 · In this tutorial, I am going to show you how to use the SUBSTITUTE function in Google Sheets. Oct 9, 2014 · 1 Excel's Find & Replace does allow for wildcard characters. Feb 28, 2024 · Our goal is to filter the rows based on this criteria list that contains wildcard characters in Google Sheets. Simply put, Find and Replace will disregard the fact that a wildcard is present and treat it like any other character when doing a search. g. Visit the Learning Center Using Google products, like Google Docs, at work or school? Try powerful tips, tutorials, and templates. Aug 10, 2023 · Knowing how to use Wildcard characters is a great tool to possess while working in Google Sheets. The Advanced Find and Replace add-on for Google Sheets looks for any value you need all over your sheets or in the selected ranges. Hope that does the trick!! How do I use the SUBSTITUTE formula in Google Sheets? write the equal sign and then SUBSTITUTE.