XL2002: Can Only Find Exact Matches When You Find Formats Based on a Cell (283626)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2002
This article was previously published under Q283626

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Find and Replace commands to find formatting that is based on an existing cell, only cells that exactly match the formatting are found.

For example, if the cell that the search is based on contains a top border, a left border, and a number formatted as a percentage, other cells that contain numbers formatted as percentages are not found, unless they also have matching top and left borders.

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, clear any formatting in the Find Format dialog box that you do not want to include in the search.

To find or replace formatting that is based on an existing cell's format, follow these steps:
  1. On the Edit menu, click Find.
  2. If the Format button is not visible, click Options.
  3. Click the arrow next to Format, and then click Choose Format From Cell.
  4. Click the cell that contains the formatting that you want to search for.
  5. If you want to make sure that the cell does not contain unwanted formatting, follow these steps:
    1. Click Format.
    2. In the Find Format dialog box, click Clear in the lower-right corner of any tab that contains unwanted formatting.

      NOTE: If the Clear button is unavailable (appears dimmed) on a tab, no formatting from that tab is selected.
    3. Click OK.
  6. Click OK.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/6/2006
Keywords:kbprb KB283626
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