How To Search For Something In Excel Mac

Bottom line: Learn a fast and easy way to search any data validation list or in-cell drop-down list with a free tool. Skill level: Beginner Data validation lists are a great way to control the values that are input in a cell. These drop-down lists also allow us to choose options that can drive financial models, reports, or dashboards. • Then you can. • And you can. However, there is no built-in way to search the validation list in Excel.

Many users find that using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts for Excel for Mac helps them work more efficiently. For users with mobility or vision disabilities, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using the touchscreen and are an essential alternative to using a mouse. The Excel SEARCH function returns the location of one text string inside another. SEARCH returns the position of the first character of find_text inside within_text. Unlike FIND, SEARCH allows wildcards, and is not case-sensitive.

It can be difficult to scroll through these lists when the drop-down contains a lot of items. There are some really cool formula based solutions to this problem, but they require a lot of setup work for each validation list in your file. So I developed a very simple add-in that helps solve this problem Video Overview of List Search. Click the links below to jump down to the feature update videos. • • Search Validation Lists with List Search The List Search Add-in makes it fast and easy to search any validation list. It also works with lists of data that do not contain data validation cells. The List Search form contains a drop-down box that loads the selected cell's validation list.

The drop-down box also functions as a search box. You can type a search in the box and the results will be narrowed down as you type. This is a Google-like search and the results will include any item that contains the search term.

The item does not have to start with the search term. Once you have selected the item you are looking for, press Enter on the keyboard or press the Input Value button on the form to input the value in the selected cell. List Search works on any cell in any workbook. There is NO special setup required. Simply select a cell, press the List Search button, and start searching the list.

List Search Options & Features The List Search Add-in contains some features that make it super fast to do data entry and work with your lists. Press the Menu button in the List Search window to see the options.

• Select Next Cell – After pressing the Enter key or Input Value button, the cell below the active cell is selected. This behavior can be changed in the direction drop-down menu.

• Down – selects the cell below the active cell. • Right – selects the cell to the right of the active cell. • None – does not change the selection. • Close – closes the List Search window. • Paste – Copies the input value to the clipboard and pastes it to the active cell using the VBA SendKeys method.

The List Search Window closes. This is the only option that retains the undo history in Excel. • Sort Order – The drop-down list can be sorted in ascending (A-Z), descending (Z-A), or original order by pressing the toggle buttons in the options menu. This only sorts the list in the List Search window. It does not sort the data validation list in the cell. • List Info – The Info button displays additional information about the drop-down list.

It currently displays the total number of items in the list. • Create List of Unique Values – A new button has been added that copies the contents of the drop-down list to the clipboard. You can then paste the list to any range in the workbook.

This is a fast way to create a list of unique values when you use List Search on a cell that does NOT contain data validation. You can also filter the list by typing a search, then copy the filtered list to the clipboard. IMPORTANT Note: When inputting values to the active cell, the only way to retain the Undo History is by using the Paste option in the Select Next Cell drop-down list. List Search uses macros to input the selected value, and macros typically clear the undo history in Excel when they modify the workbook. The Paste option is a workaround that uses the SendKeys method to copy and paste the selected value. This mimics what the user would do to copy/paste, and does NOT clear the Undo history in Excel. Works on Lists Without Data Validation List Search works on cells that do not contain data validation too.