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Filter & Search

John Michaloudis
Filter & Search.
The Search box within the Filter button is powerful if you know how to use it to your advantage.
Filter & Search | MyExcelOnline Filter & Search | MyExcelOnline

For example, if you had a list of customers the Search box allows you to find specific customers by typing in a few letters only, allows you to add a selection to your filtered list and even use wildcard symbols – like the asterisk * to drill down to specific customers.

I show you all these in the gif below.

download workbookFilter-Search.xlsx

STEP 1: We will do some basic filtering to set our table up

Click on the CUSTOMER column header and select 2-3 values to display only
Filter & Search

Now we have these 2 values only being displayed:

Filter & Search

STEP 2: Now click on the CUSTOMER column header and type “the” in the search box

Once you tick Add current selection to filter, this will include the Customers with the word “the” in the text

This will be included to your filter. Click OK

Filter & Search

You have 3 additional customers added now:

Filter & Search

STEP 3: Now click on the CUSTOMER column header and type “w*” in the search box

The asterisk (*) is a wildcard character, this means this will search for all text starting with w only

Once you tick Add current selection to filter, this will include the Customers with the letter “w” in the beginning

This will be included to your filter. Click OK

Filter & Search

You have the additional customers added now:

Filter & Search

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Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer at

John Michaloudis is a former accountant and finance analyst at General Electric, a Microsoft MVP since 2020, an Amazon #1 bestselling author of 4 Microsoft Excel books and teacher of Microsoft Excel & Office over at his flagship MyExcelOnline Academy Online Course.

See also  Distribute and Align Shapes in Excel

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