Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 27, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
Karen has a large number of cells that have a tilde character (~) at the beginning of the cells. She would like to change the tilde to a different character (such as an @ sign), but only if the tilde is at the beginning of the cell. She's not sure how to perform this task using Find and Replace.
Excel's Find and Replace would be a good choice if you wanted to replace all tildes in your text. In that case, you would simply search for ~~ (note that this is two tildes in a row) and replace with @. However, since you want to replace just a tilde appearing in the first character position, Find and Replace won't do it for you. There are two ways you can approach the problem.
The first method is to use a formula to remove the tilde. There are many variations on such a formula, with the following being one example:
=IF(LEFT(A1,1)="~","@" & MID(A1,2,LEN(A1)),A1)
You can copy the formula down as many cells as you need, then copy the results and use Paste Special to paste the values back into the original column.
The other option is to use a macro to do the replacement. The following is a good example of a short macro to do the trick:
Sub ReplaceTilde()
Dim c As Range
For Each c In Selection
If Left(c, 1) = "~" Then
c.Value = "@" & Right(c, Len(c) - 1)
End If
Next
End Sub
To use the macro, simply select the cells you want to change and then run it. Each cell in the selection is evaluated and, if appropriate, modified.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13419) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.
Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!
Tired of the Find and Replace dialog box blocking the view of your worksheet when you are searching for information? Do ...
Discover MoreWhen you use Find and Replace, Excel normally looks through all the cells in a worksheet. You may want to limit the ...
Discover MoreIf you need to find where line breaks are located in cells, there are a couple of ways you can proceed. Here's a quick ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments