SEARCH in WPS on Windows FAQ

Last updated:July 20, 2026

Common SEARCH questions usually involve formula errors, argument understanding, and result checking; this section includes 3 frequent questions and a glossary.

FAQ

What should I do if the SEARCH function returns an error?

  1. Check whether the formula starts with =.
  2. Confirm that the parentheses, commas, and number of arguments are correct.
  3. Re-enter SEARCH( and use the syntax guidance to correct the arguments.
  1. Select the target cell.
  2. Type =SEARCH(.
  3. Review the syntax guidance and example shown in the formula input area.

Why does the SEARCH result not match what I expected?

  1. Check whether the text to find and the text to search are entered in the correct argument positions.
  2. Confirm whether the starting position argument changes the result.
  3. Check whether the referenced cell content has changed, then review the result again.

Glossary

TermDefinition
SEARCHA text function that returns the position of the first occurrence of specified text within another text string.
Syntax guidanceThe parameter structure and example shown while entering a function to help complete the formula correctly.
Starting positionAn optional SEARCH argument that specifies the character position where the search begins.