Excel If Wildcard Not Working. But what if you want to use them as literal characters and no

But what if you want to use them as literal characters and not as wildcard characters? This is where the tilde comes in. Master asterisk, question mark & tilde wildcards for efficient lookups. I have tried turning the cell type into number as well as transfer the number into text using the TEXT formula. But it will not see "no characters". Wildcards are special characters that can stand in for unknown characters in a text value and are handy for locating multiple items with similar, but not identical data. Nov 21, 2011 · Hi, dear EXCEL pros: I’ve used asterisk wildcard in formula before and most of the time they worked perfectly well. It allows us to use the asterisk as a literal asterisk or a question mark as a literal question mark. In this guide, we're going to show you how to use Wildcard criteria in Excel formulas. Wildcards with IF function is used to find phrases in Excel. Any help would be appreciated. The table it is linking to is as follows C 7 B 8 A 9 A* 10 It all pulls through fine, it gives me 7 if one column contains Nov 16, 2022 · SUMIF Wildcards Not Working Hello, I cannot get the SUMIF wildcards working correctly. Aug 23, 2022 · Unfortunately, Excel’s Filter function does not perform partial-match or wildcard searches. Excel wildcards Excel supports three wildcards that can be used in formulas: Asterisk (*) - zero or more characters Question mark (?) - any one character As you've discovered, SUBSTITUTE does not support wildcards. Oct 11, 2019 · It always works like a charm, but, this year I've added two new categories "P-8" and "T-8" (the number 8 can range from 1-8, hence why i'm trying to use the asterisk) and it's not working with the asterisk. May 30, 2025 · Not all Excel functions support wildcard functionality, which can create confusion when you expect certain formulas to work with pattern matching. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. You could SUMPRODUCT, or an array formula, or FILTER if you have it (your profile is incomplete on that front) but best to avoid whole column references. Cells(K, "E"). The column holds a first name, last name, and possibly a middle name (EXAMPLE: John Abe Smith). Please do not do a Binary Search with a wildcard option. and I want to replace all of these to be *1. May 11, 2024 · To perform a partial match with XLOOKUP, supply 2 for the match mode argument to allow wildcards. Jan 9, 2005 · I'm having trouble getting the "*" wildcard to work in my IF statement. These steps can help resolve the most common issues when you receive an Excel not responding error, Excel hangs or freezes when you launch it, or open an Excel workbook. Learn how to use the wildcard characters in Excel with real example formulas and practice exercises. I am using excel 2010 and not sure why it is not calculating as i use this method quite regularly help please. 3*"} - which picks up the last two, but not the first. The issue is with the lookup being a # that is format to general. There will also be solutions covering case sensitivity. chatGPT, BARD, GPT4 etc) to create forum answers is not permitted. Jun 14, 2016 · The way Excel implements the * wildcard is fundamentally wrong, in my opinion. The first one in my report works perfectly; it's a dropdown where you select an employee name and a table populates their individual metrics based on which employee is selectedif you select the wildcard asterisk in the data Note: XLOOKUP is not available in Excel 2016 and Excel 2019. Jan 10, 2019 · Good morning, Experts and Gurus, While I wait for the coffee to jumpstart my brain, I need some help with what’s likely a simple one. Splits text strings by using column and row delimiters. Also, the workbook is free for your personal use only. This will count all cells in the range that start with "L". Aug 23, 2023 · The tutorial shows how to use VLOOKUP in Excel with many practical examples: Vlookup from another sheet, from a different workbook, with wildcards, exact match vs. It also shows how to use them with examples. By using wildcards with VLOOKUP you can win all those situations where it's hard to use VLOOKUP. Any help appreciated. However, when automating Excel with C#, developers often encounter issues where `WrapText` fails to work as expected—text remains on a single line despite setting the property. Jun 12, 2007 · I am trying to do a find replace on formulas that include * for multiplication. Oct 21, 2025 · Wildcards don’t work in all Excel functions, but they work in many of the most popular ones, including COUNTIF, SUMIF, AVERAGEIF, VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, MATCH, and SEARCH. Last edited by MushroomFace; 08-20-2015 at 08:05 AM. 1 1. The Asterisk Wildcard: Any Number of Characters The first of the two wildcards in Microsoft Excel is an asterisk, which represents any number of characters, including no characters. It allows you to split across columns or down by rows. Includes shortcuts and troubleshooting tips. It is the inverse of the TEXTJOIN function. Nov 5, 2014 · I am doing a vlookup. Apr 20, 2021 · Hello, I hope someone can help me with this please. Instead, the percent sign is used in other contexts, such as SQL queries. 11. Jan 6, 2020 · Wildcard represents one or more other characters. Is that correct? I am using Office 2000. Is there a different way of applying a wildcard condition in =SUMIFS for number values in Excel? Mar 25, 2022 · Microsoft Excel’s XLOOKUP() is powerful, but combined with wildcards, it’s also flexible. The * should be any characters, including no characters. I need to lookup a value that contained in a cell as a part of string. Example Wildcard Usage Here are some examples of how you can use wildcards in your formulas: Remember that wildcards only work with text. In the example shown, the formula in H7 is: =TRANSPOSE((XLOOKUP(H4,D5:D15,B5:E15,"Not found",2))) which performs a wildcard match with the value in H4 and returns all 4 fields as the result. Feb 28, 2003 · I have discovered that I can use a wildcard in a function such as =COUNTIF(B3:H14,"L*"). Value = tourno & "-H*" Say the tourno variable is "ABC123", we have lines that are "ABC123-H01" and "ABC123-H02" These lines are skipped over A numerical value is not text and therefore there are many text based functions and techniques that won’t work on values. We also share examples for each wildcard and explain how to troubleshoot any issues. Mar 25, 2024 · Wildcard characters not working in COUNTIFS function Hi y'all, this was a real brain scratcher for me, I gave up and went to the internet looking for answers. Jun 23, 2024 · Also, your VLOOKUP() function is not working because, the lookup value you have is a string of words while the keywords is one single word here. Note that wildcards only work with text, not numbers. 3 days ago · Microsoft Excel’s `WrapText` feature is essential for formatting cells to display text on multiple lines, improving readability for long strings or structured content. Sep 5, 2017 · I understand the basic use of the vlookup with wildcard but I'm running into a problem lately. Forum Microsoft Office Application Help - Excel Help forum Excel Formulas & Functions [SOLVED] IF statement with a Wildcard not working, workaround? The use of AI tools (e. If ((. It will help you look up a value Mar 17, 2014 · I am building an excel report that uses a couple of data validation filters and formulas that reference them. There are instructions at the top of the page explaining how to attach your sample workbook (it does not include using the attachment button for the reason you have discovered already). Jul 28, 2022 · Re: Index / Match with Wildcard Not Working Welcome to the forum. However, you may come across a situation of using a workbook in Excel 2016 or Excel 2019 with the XLOOKUP function in it, if it was created by someone else using a newer version of Excel. Value = "HF Aug 2, 2024 · We can easily Use how Excel INDEX MATCH Formula multiple criteria with wildcard effectively with appropriate illustrations. The TRANSPOSE function is optional and used here only to convert the result from XLOOKUP to a vertical array. this should have worked the other way around using wildcard. Nov 26, 2025 · Struggling with SUMIF not recognizing wildcards in Excel? This article offers four effective solutions to fix the issue, ensuring your wildcard criteria work seamlessly. The supported functions can be found here: Excel Wildcard | Exceljet In your case, there are no natural line breaks in the cell, it's just one long string of text that uses "LI x:" to indicate when a new line should begin? One work around would be to use the Find and Replace. And wildcards work well for numeric and text values. This is an array formula. Oct 20, 2015 · 3 You can match with wildcards, but the wildcards have to be in your lookup value (first position in the formula). I’m trying to use the “*” wildcard in a nested IF statement, but for some reason it’s not working (and I know how much you love that ambiguity of the latter part of that statement, but I honestly don’t know how else to put it!) By the logic I’m Sep 1, 2014 · I know that Excel does not support wildcard conditions for numbers, however, I have formatted column B as type "Text" in Excel, so I thought it would be treated as such, but it appears that it is still treated as an int. What Is VLOOKUP With Wildcard in Excel? The VLOOKUP wildcard characters enable one to lookup value using the VLOOKUP () with a partial match. 3 1. When I try to do a find replace of '*12' it replaces everything prior to the *12 since the * is flagged as the wildcard Nov 11, 2014 · I'm using an advanced filter with multiple criteria in Excel 2010: All other criteria are consistent throughout both the below conditions. Attache is the excel file. Row, "A"). The IF() function, for example, doesn't directly accept wildcards, requiring workarounds like combining it with COUNTIF() as demonstrated earlier. For more about using wildcard characters with the Find and Replace features in Excel, see Find or replace text and numbers on a worksheet. The criteria cell heading is the same as the headings in the data to be filtered. It's all working fine apart from the *. I have this column: I would like to find any one of these items in column H's text and return it in the corresponding row in column I: ie Re: VLOOKUP - Wildcard not working Yes, the wildcard in VLOOKUP works the other way around from what you are thinking. Apparently, Excel wildcards can only search a certain number of characters. Use wildcard characters as comparison criteria for text filters and when you're searching and replacing content. If i replace this to include a department i. Jul 13, 2024 · Learn how to use wildcards with XLOOKUP in Excel for powerful, flexible data searches. Aug 1, 2018 · Hello, thought the below would work but it skips over applicable lines Do Until Cells(ActiveCell. Feb 18, 2020 · Can I use wildcards with the new FILTER function I want to be able to filter a list that contains cells with lengthy text strings in them such as "12:15 to 12:35 Meeting with (Sponsor 1) at table (2) (Delegate Request)". If a user is believed to have used such tools to provide a forum answer, sanctions may be imposed. 21 hours ago · Stop losing your headers when scrolling! Learn how to freeze the top row, first column, or multiple panes in Excel. This blog post dives into the root causes of Nov 11, 2025 · In this article, the solution of Excel sumif wildcard not working is provided. Apr 25, 2021 · Can anyone please explain to me why this doesn't work in my Mac version of Excel when the same thing works on the Windows version? I've tried the (?) and (*) wildcard characters, and I can't find anything online that says this shouldn't work as expected. My data includes values like: 1. I am aware the wildcards do not work on numbers but even if I change column data type to "Text" - it still doesn't work correctly. 3. Jul 15, 2024 · While working in Excel sheets, sometimes you need to use wildcards for many purposes. As you've discovered, SUBSTITUTE does not support wildcards. Value = "" Or Cells(ActiveCell. Here, I will show you how to use wildcards in Excel. In other words, if the cell value contains the text "my specific text", anywhere in the cell value, I Feb 18, 2020 · I attempted using the wildcard "*smoke*" and this did not work. These can also be used in the Conditional Formatting rules that use the "Only format cells that contain specific text" criteria. I'm trying to set up a conditional format so my cells will be filled if the value includes a specific text string, but I need to use wildcards before and after the specific text string. I've tried Index/Match formulas but am challenged because I also need this to be a wildcard search. Column 1 has names in it, Column 2 has dates (in this very format, no spaces between the characters). Feb 12, 2025 · Excel contains two functions designed to check the occurrence of one text string inside another: the SEARCH function and the FIND function. Aug 20, 2015 · Therefore I have used, i. Jan 31, 2020 · In general IF doesn't work in comparing text with wildcards, equivalent could be ISNUMBER (SEARCH (<TextPart>,<range>)) If you are on Excel with dynamic arrays, formula to calculate number of unique clients with criteria could be Mar 25, 2022 · Microsoft Excel’s XLOOKUP() is powerful, but combined with wildcards, it’s also flexible. Here's a simple example of my formula that resides in {Column B}: =IF (A2="*McCaleb",TRUE,FALSE) Here's my array: {Column A} {Column B} Justin McCaleb FALSE Jul 29, 2025 · Trying to use either xlookup or index/match look up % from table with using wildcards on the lookup value. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". For example, this formula: Jan 31, 2020 · In general IF doesn't work in comparing text with wildcards, equivalent could be ISNUMBER (SEARCH (<TextPart>,<range>)) If you are on Excel with dynamic arrays, formula to calculate number of unique clients with criteria could be Mar 9, 2022 · For 12. (In bold below) What am I doing wrong? I'm having trouble with lines 5 and 6. Dec 15, 2025 · Simplify complex data analysis in Excel with the highly versatile COUNTIFS function. Wildcards with IF function explained here with examples. Jul 6, 2024 · We have discussed 5 methods to use the wildcard in IF statement in Excel. Aug 30, 2024 · The tilde wildcard character Until now, we have seen how helpful the above two wildcard characters are. Aug 17, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use the Find and Replace feature in Excel with wildcard characters, including several examples. My work-around was to make another row in the lookup table for "Widgets" and put half the products in the first row and the rest in the second. Mar 19, 2019 · I'm trying to use the below code in my VBA but it is not working, I have a lot or cells containing HFMWO123455 ect, the numbers keep changing. 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. This article gives you a quick VLOOKUP refresher, then links to more. That's WRONG. Functions that Support Wildcards May 12, 2025 · The Wildcards: Asterisk (*) and Question Mark (?) There are two wildcards in Excel, and knowing their purpose is crucial to understanding how wildcards work overall. I’m trying to use the “*” wildcard in a nested IF statement, but for some reason it’s not working (and I know how much you love that ambiguity of the latter part of that statement, but I honestly don’t know how else to put it!) By the logic I’m A wildcard is a special character that lets you perform "fuzzy" matching on text in your Excel formulas. However, I can't get it to work with conditional formatting. I know this is something to do with it being a wildcard character but I don't know how to fix it. 2 and my current wildcard is {"1. For numeric data, you can use logical operators. But not in all cases. To locate a specific item when you can't remember exactly how it is spelled, try using a wildcard character in a query. Jul 31, 2024 · VLOOKUP with wildcard in Excel is done by applying single wildcard and using multiple wildcards and how to avoid wildcards is also discussed Jun 2, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use a wildcard in the COUNTIF function in Excel, including several examples. Use VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, and other functions like INDEX and MATCH to search for and find data based on values you enter. Learn practical tips to enhance your spreadsheet's accuracy and efficiency today! Apr 20, 2024 · Jiajing Hua 18,155 • Moderator Apr 21, 2024, 7:39 PM Hi @ Regina Henschel Here is a similar thread: xlookup with binary search. The difference is that the SEARCH function supports wildcards but is not case-sensitive, while the FIND function is case-sensitive but does not support wildcards. Jun 29, 2024 · Now I have a different XLOOKUP wildcard matching issue. I think you are trying to figure whether any of the words in column A of code can be found in A2 of desc. e. Add a text column near your list of numbers using =TEXT ( B1,”General”) Jan 31, 2012 · I can get the code to work fine if i remove the "*" before and after the text box data in the Criteria, but i cannot get the wildcard to function. Mar 14, 2023 · The tutorial shows how to make Excel IF statement with wildcard text and get it to work for partial matches. In the example above it is looking for "*Elevator 456*" in column A of sheet code. The challenge will be if the imported data to the cell looks like SMOKEDETECTOR or HALLSMOKE which are completely likely. 1234567*, excel does not like this. The TEXTSPLIT function works the same as the Text-to-Columns wizard, but in formula form. 123456789, the formula works. approximate match, and more. Here's my situation: I have two columns. The conditional function like COUNTIF,AND,OR, SEARCH are used here. I can't get a lookup value that is different from the matching lookup array by only one character, a hyphen, to match. A lot of cells that have *12, *11, *10, etc. Jun 5, 2014 · I even tried multiplying (6&"*")* 1 to convert back to a number but it doesn't work :P If I want to exclude a certain number in one of the argument of the SUMIFS formula from above then I would put <>6201, without any quotes, correct? Learn how to use wildcard characters in Excel to save time when working with formulas. Nov 11, 2025 · This article highlights 3 solutions if the Excel COUNTIF function with wildcard is not working. Unleash Excel's potential with wildcards! Explore advanced formulas, solve common issues, and boost productivity by using wildcard in excel. 3a etc I get "#N/A" as the wildcard is not working. I am writing a macro that has 1 textbox a. Apr 7, 2025 · We explain different types of Excel VLOOKUP wildcard. The following is an example: ABSource ValueFormulas in Column BValue Returned In Column… May 18, 2023 · The IF function doesn't support wildcards directly, so we can't use IF by itself. Jul 18, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to use an IF function with a wildcard in Excel, including an example. Apr 2, 2025 · In File Explorer, the asterisk (*) is used as a wildcard to represent any number of characters, but the percentage sign (%) is not a standard wildcard for file searching. I currently have an Excel file with 1 column and many rows. Jan 15, 2015 · Because to me your question says you want to count all cells that do NOT match the wildcard string rather than count all cells that do not contain the actual ? or * characters. I was able to do a (ifsnumber (search ( and find it that way, but it did not get the multiplicity of results I was looking for. Get expert tips, ask questions, and share your love for all things Excel. g. With a bit of creativity, you will learn in this article how to perform “Begins With”, “Ends With”, “Contains”, and “Does Not Contain” search criteria, so that you can carry out more complex filtering with your dynamic array formulas. Jul 27, 2012 · Wildcards don't work with numbers, and even if they did, your formula is ANDing the criteria, which is not possible. If the answer is helpful, please click " Accept Answer " and kindly upvote it. Users can use the VLOOKUP wildcard characters in scenarios such as looking up the first name in a lookup range of texts containing first and last names. If they are in the lookup array (second position in the formula) they are not wildcards, just literal * s in the cell values. Aug 18, 2009 · Hello. So if you have the data (text): 747, 747-100, 747-200 the formula COUNTIF (range,"747*") will return 2, instead of 3. A good sample workbook has just 10-20 rows of representative data that has been desensitised. Instead, we can combine the IF function with the COUNTIF function, which does support wildcards. A vibrant community of Excel enthusiasts. Elevate your spreadsheet skills with us! Dec 11, 2013 · Forum Microsoft Office Application Help - Excel Help forum Excel Formulas & Functions [SOLVED] Wildcard not working in my COUNTIFS The use of AI tools (e.

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