Replacing Wildcards

Q: How do I find and replace wildcards (*, ?, ~) on an Excel worksheet?

A:

• Put the following into a cell or cells: ABC * EFG
• From the menu: Edit > Replace
• In the Find what box type ~* (tilde followed by an asterisk)
• In the Replace with box type D
• Click on Replace (or Replace all)
• The cells will now show ABC D EFG

Q: So I've replaced an * by preceding it with a ~. Now, how do I replace ~?

A:

• Put the following into a cell or cells: ABC ~ EFG
• From the menu: Edit > Replace
• In the Find what box type ~~ (two tildes)
• In the Replace with box type D
• Click on Replace (or Replace all)
• The cells will now show ABC D EFG

Source: Q214138

Published: 02-Feb-2004
Last edited: 05-Jun-2005 19:19