How to Use SEARCH Function with Multiple Values in Excel

In this tutorial, you will learn how to use SEARCH function with multiple values in Excel.

One text string can be located inside of another using Excel’s SEARCH function. However, there are situations when you might want to use the SEARCH tool to look for one or more text strings within another.

Once you are ready, we can start by using real-life scenarios to help you understand how to use SEARCH function with multiple values in Excel.

SEARCH Function with Multiple Values in Excel

Before we begin we will need a group of data to be used to use SEARCH function with multiple values in Excel.

Step 1

First, you need to have a clean and tidy group of data to work with.

Step 2

In this example, we want to look for names that contain either Miller or Reese as their last names. To do so, simply input the following formula =SUMPRODUCT(–ISNUMBER(SEARCH({“Miller”,”Reese”},A2)))>0.

Step 3

Once you are done, the formula will return which names contain Miller or Reese by showing ‘True’ or ‘False’.