The Fastest Way to Update Data in Google Sheets

 

Use Find and Replace in Google Sheets

Visit Google Sheets and open the spreadsheet where you want to locate and update your data. Click Edit > Find and Replace from the menu.

When the Find and Replace window displays, enter the data you want to locate in the Find box. Then, in the Replace With box, enter what you want to update it with.

Use the Search drop-down box to select where you want to look. You can choose All Sheets, This Sheet, or a Specific Range.

To review and confirm the data before replacing it, click “Find.” This will highlight the first instance of the data you enter in the Find box. Continue to click “Find” to see each subsequent instance of the data. When all results have been found, the tool will start from the beginning, and you’ll see the message “No more results found, looping around” appear in the Find and Replace window.

If you review your data and determine that all instances should be replaced, click “Replace All.” You’ll then see the number of items replaced in the Find and Replace window and your data updated.

If you only want to update a certain instance rather than all of them, you can click “Replace” for the particular instance found and highlighted. You’ll see your data update and the details in the Find and Replace window.

Add Search Parameters

In the Search section of the Find and Replace window, you have additional options you can use to find your data. These can be helpful for locating something specific or when data is entered in various formats throughout your sheet.

Match Case: This is ideal when searching for text that uses upper and lowercase letters. You can match the case exactly, so you find the correct data.

Match Entire Cell Contents: To avoid finding and replacing data that’s similar throughout your sheet, you can locate something in particular by matching all contents within a cell.

Search Using Regular Expressions: If you want to use regular expressions to get more precise or varied results, you can check this box.

Also Search Within Formulas: To include data that’s within formulas instead of only cell contents, mark this search option.

Updating the data in your sheet doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process. Remember this tip for using Find and Replace the next time you want to update your Google Sheets.