Alok Paul
Microsoft Excel has several options to search for a specific text or character. In this article, we will show how to search for Question Mark in Excel.
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4 Methods to Search for Question Mark in Excel
We will search question marks (?) from each cell. 4 methods will be shown here. In our dataset, there are some data in a single column.
1. Use Find & Replace Tool to Search for Question Mark in Excel
In this section, we will use the Find & Replace tool. This tool will indicate the cells from the selection, that contain question marks.
📌 Steps:
- First, select all the cells of the Data column.
- Click on the Editing group of the Home tab.
- Go to the Find & Select option.
- Finally, choose the Find option.
- The Find and Replace window will appear.
- Insert “~?” on the Find what box.
- Then click on Find All.
- Now, get a list on this window.
The cell number and values are shown here. Those are the cells where we found question mark (?).
- We can also click on Find Next button.
This will indicate the corresponding cells from the dataset one after another. Also, the number of cells found is shown here.
Note:
- There is a keyboard shortcut to avail the Find feature just, press Ctrl+F.
- The tilde symbol (~) is used to indicate any special character in Excel.
Read More: How to Find And Replace Values Using Wildcards in Excel
2. Use Filter Option
In this section, we will use the Filter feature. By using this feature we will view the cells containing the question mark (?) only.
📌 Steps:
- First, we will apply a Filter to our data in the dataset.
- Select the Data column.
- Go to the Editing group from the Home tab.
- Click on the Sort & Filter section.
- Choose Filter from the menu.
- Look at the dataset now.
The filter has been successfully applied to the dataset.
- Now, click on the Filter sign.
- Click the Text Filter from the menu.
- Finally, select Contains option.
- The Custom AutoFilter window will appear.
- Put “~?” on the indicated box.
- After that, click on OK.
- Have a look at the dataset.
Cells that contain question marks are showing only.
Note:
Crtl+Shift+L is the keyboard shortcut to avail the Filter feature.
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- SUMIFS with Wildcard in Excel (+ Alternative Formulas)
- How to Find * Character Not as Wildcard in Excel (2 Methods)
3. Combination of IFERROR and SEARCH Functions
In this section, we will use the combination of the IFERROR and SEARCH functions.
The IFERROR function returns value_if_error if the expression is an error and the value of the expression itself otherwise.
The SEARCH function returns the number of the character at which a specific character or text string is first found, reading left to right (not case-sensitive).
📌 Steps:
- Add a new column named Status to explain which cell contains a question mark (?).
- Now, go to Cell C5 and put the following formula.
=IFERROR(IF(SEARCH("~?", B5), "True", "False"),"False")
- Press the Enter button for the execution of the formula.
- Now, drag the Fill Handle icon downwards.
True means a question mark exists and False otherwise analyzing the corresponding cells.
4. Combination of IFERROR, IF, and FIND Functions to Search for Question Mark
Here, we will use the FIND function instead of the SEARCH function.
The FIND function returns the starting position of one text string within another text string. FIND function is case-sensitive.
📌 Steps:
- Copy and paste the following formula on Cell C5.
=IFERROR(IF(FIND("?", B5), "True", "False"),"False")
The FIND function is case-sensitive. So, no need to use the tilde sign(~).
- Now, press the Enter button and pull the Fill Handle icon downwards.
We get the result. True means there is a question mark in the corresponding cell, and False indicates there is no question mark.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed 4 methods of how to search for question mark (?) in Excel. I hope this will satisfy your needs. Please have a look at our website Exceldemy.com and give your suggestions in the comment box.
