How to Check if a Cell Contains Text in Excel and Return a Value

Excel is a powerful spreadsheet tool that can automate many tasks. One common need is to search for specific text in cells and return values based on those searches. This article will show you multiple ways to check if a cell contains text in Excel and return appropriate values.

Checking if a Cell Contains Any Text

To determine if a cell contains any text value, we can use the ISTEXT function:

Step 1: Enter this formula in an adjacent cell:

=ISTEXT(A2)

Step 2: Drag the fill handle down to apply the formula to other cells.

This will return TRUE for text values and FALSE for non-text values.

To return custom values instead of TRUE/FALSE, we can wrap the ISTEXT function in an IF statement:

=IF(ISTEXT(A2), A2, "Not text")

This formula will return the cell’s contents if it’s text, or “Not text” otherwise.

Checking for Specific Text

To check if a cell contains specific text, use the IF function with a direct comparison:

=IF(B2="Group A", "Yes", "No")

This checks if cell B2 exactly matches “Group A” and returns “Yes” or “No” accordingly.

Case-Sensitive Text Matching

For case-sensitive matching, use the EXACT function:

=IF(EXACT(B2,"Group A"), "Yes", "No")

This will only return “Yes” if the cell contents match “Group A” exactly, including capitalization.

Checking for Partial Text Matches

To search for a text string within a cell, use the SEARCH function (case-insensitive) or FIND function (case-sensitive):

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("asaan", B2)), "Yes", "No")

This formula checks if “asaan” appears anywhere in cell B2, regardless of case.

For case-sensitive partial matching:

=IF(ISNUMBER(FIND("asaan", B2)), "Yes", "No")

Using Wildcards with COUNTIF

Another approach for partial matching uses the COUNTIF function with wildcards:

=IF(COUNTIF(B2, "*asaan*"), "Yes", "No")

The asterisks allow for any characters before or after “asaan”.


Conclusion

Excel offers multiple ways to check for text in cells and return custom values. The ISTEXT function checks for any text, while IF statements with EXACT, SEARCH, FIND, or COUNTIF allow for more specific text matching. Choose the method that best fits your needs based on whether you need exact matches, case sensitivity, or partial text searching.