What is the SEARCH Function
The SEARCH function returns the position of one text string inside another, ignoring case. It also supports wildcards. Unlike FIND which is case-sensitive, SEARCH is more forgiving.
Formula: =SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num])
Practical Example 1
A2 contains Excel Training. Find training with any case.
Type: =SEARCH(training, A2)
Result: 7
Practical Example 2
Check if a text contains a keyword.
Type: =ISNUMBER(SEARCH(Excel, A2))
Result: TRUE if A2 contains Excel
Practical Example 3
Find text starting with a wildcard.
Type: =SEARCH(Ex*, A2)
Result: the position of the first match
Practical Example 4
Extract text before a keyword.
Type: =LEFT(A2, SEARCH(Excel, A2) - 1)
Result: the text before Excel
When to Use It
SEARCH is used for case-insensitive lookups, for checking if a text contains a keyword, for flexible text matching, and for any formula where case should be ignored during the search.