Guides

Sheets Mega Tools

Find Values in Cells

Learn how to find values, formulas, notes, links, or errors in Google Sheets™, then highlight, replace, format, delete rows, or copy the matches.

The Find Values in Cells tool helps you search for values across your Google Sheets™ spreadsheet, then highlight, replace, format, delete rows, or copy the matches you find.

How to Use Find Values in Cells

  1. Open the tool

Open the add-on sidebar, expand Sheets Mega Tools, go to Cell Values, and click Find Values in Cells.

You can also use the Sheets Mega Tools menu shortcut to open the same sidebar section.

  1. Select your scope

Choose where to search:

  • Selection - Search only within your currently selected range
  • Current Sheet - Search the entire active sheet (default)
  • All Sheets - Search across all sheets in your spreadsheet
  1. Enter what you want to find

Type the search text in Find what.

  1. Configure search options

Use the options panel to customize your search:

  • Exact phrase - Match the full phrase exactly
  • Case sensitive - Toggle to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase
  • Search in - Select what to search:
  • Values (default: on)
  • Formulas (default: on)
  • Links
  • Notes
  • Errors
  1. Run the search

Click Find to search for matches.

  1. Review results

The results window displays:

  • Count of matches found
  • Table showing: Checkbox | Location (sheet!A1) | Type badge
  • Tooltips showing display values on hover
  • Collapsible results section
  1. Select matches and apply actions

Use checkboxes to select specific matches, then choose an action:

  • Highlight - Apply a background color to selected matches (color picker available)
  • Replace - Replace found values with new text
  • Format - Apply background or text color formatting
  • Delete rows - Remove entire rows containing matches (option to keep first result row)
  • Copy result - Copy the range and display value to clipboard

Default Settings

  • Scope: Current Sheet
  • Search in: Values and Formulas (enabled by default)
  • Other search fields: Links, Notes, Errors (disabled by default)

Tip: Results and your selection persist until you run a new search. Action buttons remain disabled until you select at least one match.

Large Ranges: For very large ranges, a warning will appear before running the search. You can choose to proceed or cancel the operation.

Use Cases

  • Find and highlight all instances of a specific value across your spreadsheet
  • Replace outdated product codes or names with new ones
  • Clean up data by deleting rows containing specific error values
  • Format matches to make them stand out visually
  • Search formulas to find cells using specific functions or references

Note: This tool is part of Sheets Mega Tools, available only in Google Sheets™.