How to find and replace exact match in Excel?

When you work on Excel, sometimes, you try to find something like “tools” and replace it with “office” by using Find and Replace feature, but, you will find that all the cells which contains “tools”, such as “Kutools” will become “Kuoffice”. And this is not your desired result, you need to find and replace only the cell contents which are “tools”. How could you find the exact match and replace it with a specific value in Excel?

Find and replace exact match with Find and Replace feature

Find and replace exact match with the help of Microsoft Word

Find and replace exact match in selection / multiple sheets / multiple workbooks with Kutools for Excel

Find and replace exact match with Find and Replace feature

In fact, there is an option to choose in the Find and Replace dialog so that find and replace the exact match, please do as follows:

1. Select the data range that you want to find and replace exact match. Take the following data for example, I will find the cells whose content is tools, and replace them with 2015.

2. Then hold Ctrl + H keys to open the Find and Replace dialog, in this dialog, enter the value which you want to find in the Find what text box, and type the specific value you need in the Replace with text box, see screenshot:

3. And then click Options >> button to expand the Find and Replace dialog, in the expanded dialog box, please check Match entire cell contents option, see screenshot:

4. Then click Replace All button, a prompt box will pop out to remind you how many cells have been replaced successfully, and all the cells which content is “tools” have been replaced exactly. See screenshot:

5. Finally, click OK and close the Find and Replace dialog box.

Find and replace exact match with the help of Microsoft Word

As we all known, Word also has the Find and Replace function, with this feature, you can replace both the whole word and part of the word.

1. Copy the data from Excel and paste into a new Word document.

2. In Word document, select the pasted data, and then press Ctrl + H keys together, in the opened Find and Replace dialog, enter the data that you want to find and type the specific value that you need to replace with. See screenshot:

3. Then click More >> button to expand the Find and Replace dialog, in the expanded dialog box, check Find whole words only option, and then click Replace All, see screenshot:

4. And all the whole words “tools” have been replaced by your specified value.

5. Then you can copy the data from Word and paste to Excel.

Note: With this Find and Replace feature of Word, you can find and replace a part of the whole word to other data you need as well.

For example, I need to replace the following substring “1” with the value “sky”, to replace the exact match, in the Find ad Replace dialog, do the following operations, and you will get all the part of the whole word has been replaced by the value you need. See screenshots:

Find and replace exact match in selection / multiple sheets / multiple workbooks with Kutools for Excel

If you have Kutools for Excel, with its Navigation utility, you can quickly finad and replace exact match in selection, multiple worksheet or multiple workbooks as you need.

After installing Kutools for Excel, please do step by step:

1. Click Kutools > Navigation, see screenshot:

2. In the Navagation pane, click button to expand the Find and Replace pane, and then do the following settings, see screenshot:

1. Select the search scope from the Within drop down, this case, i will select Selection;

2. Then click button to choose the selection that you want to find and replace the values;

3. And then type the texts which you want to find and replace in the Find what and Replace with text box separately;

4. Then check Match entire Cell option;

5. At last, click Replace All button.

2. And the texts have been replaced exactly as you need, see wcreenshot:

Demo: Find and replace exact match in selection / multiple sheets / multiple workbooks with Kutools for Excel