5 Ways to Fix Find and Replace Not Working in Microsoft Excel

Quick Tips

• Microsoft Excel won’t locate text or numbers if they are hidden in a filtered list, so make sure to turn off filtering for cells.
• Ensure your Excel workbook isn’t protected, and try running Excel in safe mode to see if one of your add-ins is causing the issue.
• If nothing else works, consider running Microsoft’s Office repair tool.

Fix 1: Make Sure the Correct Cells Are Selected

To start, ensure that you are searching within the appropriate range of cells. If you have selected the wrong cells, Excel won’t be able to find the information you are looking for and will display the “Microsoft Excel cannot find the data you’re searching for” message.

Step 1: Open the Excel spreadsheet you want to work with. Highlight the cells you want to search and press the Ctrl + F keyboard shortcut to bring up the Find and Replace dialog.

Step 2: Type the text or number you want to find in the search field. Clear the Match case and Match entire cell contents boxes if you’re looking for a partial match.

Step 3: Click the Find All or Find Next button.

Fix 2: Turn Off Filtering for Cells

If the text or number you are searching for is hidden in a filtered list, Microsoft Excel won’t locate it. You can turn off filtering for cells in Excel and see if that gets Find and Replace to work again.

In your Excel spreadsheet, switch to the Data tab and click the Filter option to disable it. Then, try to use Find and Replace again.

Fix 3: Unprotect Excel Worksheet

If you have difficulty changing text or numbers using Find and Replace in Excel, your worksheet may be protected. To avoid any interruptions, you’ll need to unprotect the Excel worksheet by following the steps below.

Step 1: Open your Excel spreadsheet and click the Review tab at the top.

Step 2: Click the Unprotect Sheet option and enter the password when prompted.

After this, you can modify Excel cells with Find and Replace.

Fix 4: Start Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Add-Ins

A faulty or outdated add-in can also disrupt Excel processes and cause Find and Replace to stop working. To check for this possibility, you can use Excel in safe mode, where it runs without any of your add-ins.

Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog. Type excel -safe in the text box and press Enter to open Microsoft Excel in safe mode.

After Excel launches in safe mode, open your workbook and try to use Find and Replace again. If this solves your problem, a third-party add-in may be causing the problem. To identify the problematic add-ins, you should disable all add-ins and then enable them one by one.

Step 1: Open an Excel spreadsheet and click the File menu at the top-left corner.

Step 2: Select Options from the bottom-left corner.

Step 3: Switch to the Add-ins tab and select COM Add-ins in the Manage drop-down menu. Then, click the Go button.

Step 4: Uncheck all the boxes to disable your add-ins and click OK.

Re-enable your add-ins one at a time until the issue occurs again. After you find the add-in causing the issue, consider updating or removing it.

Fix 5: Run the Microsoft Office Repair Tool

Running the Microsoft Office repair tool is an effective way to troubleshoot issues with Office apps. You can run this tool if none of the above tips fix Find and Replace in Excel. Here’s how:

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Installed apps from the list.

Step 2: Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click the three-dot menu icon next to it and select Modify.

Step 3: Select Online Repair and click Repair.