Conditional Logic

Excel formula for Return a value if a cell contains text

Flag rows where a cell contains a given word, anywhere in the text.

Copy this formula

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("urgent", A2)), "Yes", "No")

How the formula works

SEARCH returns the position of the word if present (a number) or an error if not. ISNUMBER turns that into TRUE/FALSE, and IF returns your labels. SEARCH is case-insensitive; use FIND for case-sensitive matching.

Examples

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("paid", B2)), "✓", "")→✓

Marks rows whose status contains "paid".

FAQ

How do I check for an exact match instead?

Compare directly: =IF(A2="urgent", "Yes", "No"). SEARCH is for partial/contains checks.

Related formulas

Assign grades or tiers with nested logic Flag or handle blank cells

Functions used

IF SEARCH ISNUMBER

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