If cell contains multiple values
The array formula in cell C3 checks if text string in B3 contains all values in F2:F3.
To enter an array formula, type the formula in a cell then press and hold CTRL + SHIFT simultaneously, now press Enter once. Release all keys.
The formula bar now shows the formula with a beginning and ending curly bracket telling you that you entered the formula successfully. Don't enter the curly brackets yourself.
Explaining formula in cell C3
The SEARCH function returns the character position of a substring in a text string, it returns an error if not found.
SEARCH($F$2:$F$3,B3)
becomes
SEARCH({"D";"U"},"A, U, G, E")
and returns {#VALUE!;4}.
THE COUNT function counts the number of values that contain a number, it conveniently also ignores errors.
COUNT(SEARCH($F$2:$F$3,B3))
becomes
COUNT({#VALUE!;4}) and returns 1. Only one value in the array is a number.
Lastly, the equal sign compares the output with number 2. COUNT(SEARCH($F$2:$F$3,B3))=2
becomes
1=2 and returns FALSE in cell C3.
Modify formula to check if at least one value is found
If you want the formula to return TRUE if at least one value is found change the formula to:
The possibilities are endless here if you want the formula to return TRUE if at least 2 out of 3 values are found, change the formula to:
Regular formula
This formula is slightly larger but has an advantage of being a regular formula.
Download Excel *.xlsx file
If cell contains multiple values.xlsx
Weekly Blog EMAIL
Welcome! I am Oscar and here to help you out.Feel free to comment and ask Excel questions.
Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss new blog articles.
Related articles
If cell contains text from list
This article demonstrates several ways to check if a cell contains a value based on a list. The first example […]
Nested IF statements in a formula are multiple combined IF functions so more conditions and outcomes become possible. They all are […]
IF with AND function – multiple conditions
The AND function allows you to have multiple conditions in an IF function, you can have up to 254 arguments. […]
If cell equals value from list
Regular formula Formula in cell C3: =IF(COUNTIF($E$3:$E$5,B3),"Yes","No") The COUNTIF function counts how many values in E3:E5 match cell B3, it returns […]
The picture above shows different values in column B and a formula in column C that tries to identifies the […]
The easiest way to check if a cell has a value is, in my opinion, to use the equal sign […]
The easiest way to check if a cell contains a specific text string is, in my opinion, the IF and […]
Use IF + COUNTIF to perform numerous conditions
The COUNTIF function allows you to construct a small IF formula that carries out plenty of logical expressions. Combining the IF […]
2 Responses to “If cell contains multiple values”
Leave a Reply
How to comment
How to add a formula to your comment
<code>Insert your formula here.</code>
Convert less than and larger than signs
Use html character entities instead of less than and larger than signs.
< becomes < and > becomes >
How to add VBA code to your comment
[vb 1="vbnet" language=","]
Put your VBA code here.
[/vb]
How to add a picture to your comment:
Upload picture to postimage.org or imgur
Paste image link to your comment.
Here is another normally-entered formula that can be used to check if the F2 and F3 values are both in the cell in Column B...
=COUNTIFS(B3,"*"&F$2&"*",B3,"*"&F$3&"*")=1
Rick Rothstein,
I never gave the COUNTIFS function a thought, thank you for commenting.