How do I fix the error message in Excel's Find and Replace where it says, "We couldn't find what you were looking for. Click Options for more ways to search"?

Question

How do I fix the error message in Excel's Find and Replace where it says, "We couldn't find what you were looking for. Click Options for more ways to search"?

Barbara E 0

The find text is clearly in the search range but I still get this error massage that it can't find it.

Barbara E 0 Reputation points

2025-09-06T15:27:59.1333333+00:00

Options for the find search of text are set with No Format Set, Within: Sheet, Search: By Rows, Look in: Values and unchecked Match case and Match entire cell contents
Jay Tr 6,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-09T22:23:14.8433333+00:00

Hi @Barbara E,

Hope things are running smoothly on your end.

Following up on the support thread we've been working on. I hope the steps I shared in my previous answer resolve the issue you were facing. If you are still facing the same issue or need assistance with anything else, kindly respond to this email, and I will be happy to help.

We want to make sure everything is working as expected and that your experience remains uninterrupted.

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Jay Tr 6,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-11T21:33:39.3966667+00:00

Hi @Barbara E,

I hope you are having a great day

I'm reaching out again to follow up on your issue and check if everything has been resolved. My goal is to ensure your experience remains smooth and hassle-free. If you're still encountering any problems or have run into new challenges, please let me know which steps you're currently stuck on and happy to provide further help whenever you need it.

If you have any further questions, feel free to tag me in your reply so I can assist you directly.

Looking forward to your update.

1 answer

Your answer

Barbara E 0 Reputation points

2025-09-06T15:27:59.1333333+00:00

Options for the find search of text are set with No Format Set, Within: Sheet, Search: By Rows, Look in: Values and unchecked Match case and Match entire cell contents
Jay Tr 6,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-09T22:23:14.8433333+00:00

Hi @Barbara E,

Hope things are running smoothly on your end.

Following up on the support thread we've been working on. I hope the steps I shared in my previous answer resolve the issue you were facing. If you are still facing the same issue or need assistance with anything else, kindly respond to this email, and I will be happy to help.

We want to make sure everything is working as expected and that your experience remains uninterrupted.

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Jay Tr 6,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-11T21:33:39.3966667+00:00

Hi @Barbara E,

I hope you are having a great day

I'm reaching out again to follow up on your issue and check if everything has been resolved. My goal is to ensure your experience remains smooth and hassle-free. If you're still encountering any problems or have run into new challenges, please let me know which steps you're currently stuck on and happy to provide further help whenever you need it.

If you have any further questions, feel free to tag me in your reply so I can assist you directly.

Looking forward to your update.

Answer 1

Hi @Barbara E,

Good day and welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Regarding to this error, it could be related to hidden rows/columns, filtered data, incorrect reference, etc. To resolve this error, I would recommend trying the following workaround:

In your workbook, if filter is applied, click the filter icon (usually on the toolbar or column headers.
Tap Select All

User's image

Unhide hidden cells temporarily, if available.
Perform the search.

Please understand that Excel on Android does not perform search across worksheets, it only searches on the currently active worksheet. For the best experience, I would recommend using Excel on desktop which support full workbook search.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this. May you have any further questions and concerns or need assistance, please feel free reach out. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. Looking forward to your response.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Share via

How do I fix the error message in Excel's Find and Replace where it says, "We couldn't find what you were looking for. Click Options for more ways to search"?

1 answer

Your answer