Table of Contents

Search Box

This example teaches you how to create your own search box in Excel. If you are in a hurry simply download the Excel file.

This is what the spreadsheet looks like. If you enter a search query into cell B2 Excel searches through column E and the results appear in column B.

Search Box in Excel

To create this search box execute the following steps.

1. Select cell D4 and insert the SEARCH function shown below. Create an absolute reference to cell B2.

2. Double click the lower right corner of cell D4 to quickly copy the function to the other cells.

Search Function

Explanation: the SEARCH function finds the position of a substring in a string. The SEARCH function is case-insensitive. For Tunisia string “uni” is found at position 2. For United States string “uni” is found at position 1. The lower the number the higher it should be ranked.

3. Both United States and United Kingdom return the value 1. To return unique values which will help us when we use the RANK function in a moment slightly adjust the formula in cell D4 as shown below.

4. Again double click the lower right corner of cell D4 to quickly copy the formula to the other cells.

Row Function

Explanation: the ROW function returns the row number of a cell. If we divide the row number by a large number and add it to the result of the SEARCH function we always have unique values. However these small increments won’t influence the search rankings. United States has a value of 1.00006 now and United Kingdom has a value of 1.00009. We also added the IFERROR function. If a cell contains an error (when a string cannot be found) an empty string (“”) is displayed.

5. Select cell C4 and insert the RANK function shown below.

6. Double click the lower right corner of cell C4 to quickly copy the formula to the other cells.

Rank Function

Explanation: the RANK function returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers. If the third argument is 1 Excel ranks the smallest number first second smallest number second etc. Because we added the ROW function all values in column D are unique. As a result the ranks in column C are unique too (no ties).

7. We are almost there. We’ll use the VLOOKUP function to return the countries found (lowest rank first second lowest rank second etc.) Select cell B4 and insert the VLOOKUP function shown below.

8. Double click the lower right corner of cell B4 to quickly copy the formula to the other cells.

Vlookup Function

9. Change the text color of the numbers in column A to white and hide columns C and D.

Result: your own search box in Excel.

Search Box in Excel

Leave A Comment

Excel meets AI – Boost your productivity like never before!

At Formulas HQ, we’ve harnessed the brilliance of AI to turbocharge your Spreadsheet mastery. Say goodbye to the days of grappling with complex formulas, VBA code, and scripts. We’re here to make your work smarter, not harder.

Related Articles

The Latest on Formulas HQ Blog

An AI generated image of charts and spreadsheets presumably displaying the abilities of excel generators

Unlock Spreadsheet Superpowers: Top 5 AI Tools Transforming Excel & Sheets

In today’s busy world, being good at managing and understanding data is really important. Excel and Google Sheets are key tools for many people in different jobs, but sometimes, working [...]

BMI calculator in Excel

BMI calculator in Excel

Create a BMI calculator in Excel and find out if you are a healthy weight. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on weight and height that applies to adult men and women.

Conflicting Conditional Formatting Rules in Excel

Conflicting Conditional Formatting Rules in Excel

Sometimes multiple conditional formatting rules in Excel conflict. A higher rule always wins. This example illustrates two different results.

List of Holidays in Excel

List of Holidays in Excel

This example teaches you how to get the date of a holiday for any year (2024 2025 etc). If you are in a hurry simply download the Excel file.

How to use the Excel FILTER function

Use the magic FILTER function in Excel 365/2021 to extract records that meet certain criteria. The FILTER function is quite versatile.

Password Protect an Excel Macro

Just like you can password protect workbooks and worksheets you can password protect a macro in Excel from being viewed (and executed).

Featured image for counting blank and nonblank cells in Excel, showing a spreadsheet with highlighted sections for blank and nonblank cells and formulas like COUNTBLANK, COUNTA, and COUNTIFS.

Count Blank/Nonblank Cells in Excel

This example shows you how to count blank and nonblank cells in Excel.

Analysis ToolPak in Excel

The Analysis ToolPak is an Excel add-in program that provides data analysis tools for financial statistical and engineering data analysis.

Excel Quick Analysis tool highlighting totals, charts, and formatting options

Quick Analysis Tool in Excel

Use the Quick Analysis tool in Excel to quickly analyze your data. Calculate totals quickly insert tables, apply conditional formatting, and more.

Excel IRR calculation example for financial analysis

How to use the Excel IRR function

Use the IRR function in Excel to calculate a project's internal rate of return. The internal rate of return is the discount rate that makes the net present value equal to zero.

Update a Pivot Table in Excel

Any changes you make to the data set are not automatically picked up by a pivot table in Excel. Refresh the pivot table or change the data source to update the pivot table with the applied changes.

Consolidate Data in Excel

You can use Excel's Consolidate feature to consolidate your worksheets (located in one workbook or multiple workbooks) into one worksheet.

How to Sort by Date in Excel

This guide walks you through the steps to sort by date in Excel. It starts with how to convert text-formatted dates to actual date values followed by basic sorting methods and advanced techniques like sorting dates by month and sorting birthdays.