Google Spreadsheets: Want to play I Spy with Google?
Google Spreadsheets is a great way to manage a large amount of data, but as it grows, it can be even more challenging to track certain information. Scrolling through spreadsheets looking for that one cell is like finding a needle in a haystack. That’s why it helps to know how to search in Google Spreadsheets.
How to search on Google Spreadsheets on a computer
In our desktop example, we will use a fake budget with 20 lines of data. After all, it is important to know where your money is going. To get started, open a spreadsheet in Google Spreadsheets.
Data acquisition
First, you must display the Find and Replace menu. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + H on your PC (Command + Shift + H on Mac) or navigating to Edit–> Find and Replace.
If you do not plan to change any data, you can turn on Ctrl + F recovery option on PC or Command + F on Mac. The Find feature is similar to the search on any other web page – type in the name you want to find, and then Google Spreadsheets does something else.
Once you have opened the Find and Replace menu in Google Spreadsheets, you will see two text boxes and a drop-down search options menu. We will enter the Default word in the Find and set parameter in This Shed to get our information on car payments.
We will leave the switch option blank for now as we do not want to change the data. Next, click the Find button. You should see that the popup menu will search Google Spreadsheets and highlight each instance of your keyword at a time. You can also narrow down your search by using other options.
The same rating makes your search more sensitive.
Match all cell contents to search for exactly the same cells.
Search using common phrases to search for cells that match the pattern.
Also search within formulas you can search for formula cells.
Click Done once you have found the cell you need. Your cell will always be highlighted, and the menu will disappear.
Changes data
It changes data. Those are the basic search steps in Google Spreadsheets, but it’s important to know how to use the Find and Replace recovery function. Reopen the Find and Replace menu. We will use the word Auto as before in the Find box.
In this case, add the word Car in the replacement box and set the search to This Sheet. You will need to hit Find and Replace every time you want to update a term.
Note that Finding and Replacing in Google Spreadsheets will only change the name of each cell. In our example, Auto and Gas becomes Car and Gas. We may choose not to replace the Auto Auto in the Shell Oil cell because it is a business name.
You can also click the Replace All button to summarize the process. In this case, it will change all Auto settings with the Car name.
How to search on Google Spreadsheets on Android or iOS
Finding and exchanging information on the Google Sheet mobile app is very straightforward. In this example, we will be looking at a list of movies to watch.
First, open a spreadsheet in the Google Docs application. Touch More, represented by a three-dot icon in the upper right corner, then find and replace.
Next, type the word you want to find and then press Search, represented by the magnifying glass icon. Tap the arrows at the top right to see each time a word is found. In this case, there are two situations.
To change one term event, tap Replace. To replace each term event with a new one, tap All. When you are ready to return to the spreadsheet, press Done, represented by the checkmark in the top left corner.
Now that you can search on Google Spreadsheets, you should never have trouble finding the correct cell again.
