Limiting Searching to a Column

Summary: Find and Replace is one of Excel's most-used tools when working with large amounts of data. You can also limit the area searched by Find and Replace by simply selecting the area you want searched before you start the search. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

As your worksheets start to contain more and more data, you'll find yourself often searching for information in the collected data. Most people do this by pressing Ctrl+F to display the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. From here you can do a search of the entire worksheet.

If you want to limit your search, however, there is one key thing you need to do: Select the range you want to search before pressing Ctrl+F. For instance, if you want to limit your search to a specific column of the worksheet, select that column before displaying the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. When the search is actually performed, only those cells in the selected range are included in the search; everything else is ignored.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3147) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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