Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Superscripts in Find and Replace.

Superscripts in Find and Replace

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 3, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365


3

Kirk needs to search for things like "yd2" and replace it with "yd2" where the "2" is superscripted. He wonders if there is a way to do that in Excel.

The find and replace capabilities of Excel are more limited than those of Word, where such replacements are relatively easy. While you could export your information to Word, do the replacements, and then import it back into Excel, there are some things you can do without ever leaving Excel.

First, however, let's examine something that you might reasonably think would work, but doesn't really. Note that the Replace tab of the Find and Replace dialog box seems to provide a way to specify attributes for the text you want to use as the replacement. This might lead you to think that you could do the following:

  1. Replace all instances of yd2 with yd$*$
  2. Replace all instances of $*$ with a superscripted 2.

While this sounds good in theory, it won't work. You can follow the steps, including making sure that the replacement 2 is set to be superscript. The problem, however, is that Excel applies the superscript format to the entire cell, not just to the 2. Thus, you end up with yd2 completely as superscript.

You could, if you wanted, skip superscripting all together and just use a typeface character that appears superscripted. If you use the Symbol dialog box, you can find the digits 0 through 3 that appear superscripted. If you use the superscripted digit 2 (ASCII 178) in your replacement text, then you can get the desired appearance. Follow these steps:

  1. Press Ctrl+H to display the Replace tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  2. Figure 1. The Replace tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

  3. In the Find What box enter yd2.
  4. In the Replace With box enter yd and then hold down the Alt key as you type 0178 on the numeric keypad.
  5. Click Replace All.

Finally, if you really want to use superscripts, your best bet is going to be using a macro to do the formatting. The simplest method is tied to the specific example provided—making the 2 in yd2 superscript.

Sub DoConvert()
    Dim c As Range

    For Each c In Selection.Cells
        If c.Value = "yd2" Then
            c.Characters(3, 1).Font.Superscript = True
        End If
    Next
End Sub

To use the macro, select the cells you want to modify, then run the macro. Each cell in the selection is stepped through and checked to see if it contains the text yd2. If it does, then the third character (the 2) is made superscript; the rest of the cell is undisturbed.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12605) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Superscripts in Find and Replace.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Rounding to the Nearest $50

When preparing financial reports, it may make your data easier to understand if you round it to the nearest multiple, ...

Discover More

Counting Records Matching Multiple Criteria

Excel provides worksheet functions that make it easy to count things. What if you want to count records that match more ...

Discover More

Combining Documents

Need to combine quite a few text documents? A macro may be the easiest way to stuff them all into a single Word document.

Discover More

Save Time and Supercharge Excel! Automate virtually any routine task and save yourself hours, days, maybe even weeks. Then, learn how to make Excel do things you thought were simply impossible! Mastering advanced Excel macros has never been easier. Check out Excel 2010 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Wildcards in 'Replace With' Text

When doing searches in Excel, you can use wildcard characters in the specification of what you are searching. However, ...

Discover More

Removing Cells Containing Specific Terms

Macros are great for processing large amounts of data quickly. This tip examines several ways you can remove specific ...

Discover More

Finding Based on Displayed Results

Want to use Excel's Find feature to locate cells based on what those cells display? It's easy if you know how to adjust ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 6 - 0?

2022-01-03 15:18:06

Ronmio

A similar but more versatile technique is to use Insert Symbol. There are hundreds of unique symbols (e.g., the many dozens of symbols in Segoe UI Symbol, Webdings, Wingdings, etc. ) that can be part of a replacement. However, because currently you cannot insert symbols directly into the "Replace with", you need to use an interim step. First, you want to insert the desired symbol into a blank cell and copy (Ctrl+C) the character(s) from the FORMULA BAR of that cell and then insert (Ctrl-V) it/them into the replacement text.

Life would be a little simpler if Office would allow you to Insert Symbols into dialog boxes. Microsoft are you listening?


2020-11-21 10:28:25

Rick Rothstein

The macro you posted assumes the yd2 is in a cell by itself. What if the column is not a Units column though, but rather a Description column instead where, for each cell, the yd2 text could appear one or more times embedded within other text? An example could be, "I ordered 100 yd2 but they delivered 105 yd2 by mistake". Here is a macro that will work for either a Units column or for a Description column..

Sub ydSquared()
Dim Position As Long, Cell As Range
For Each Cell In Selection
Position = InStr(1, Cell.Value, "yd2", vbTextCompare)
Do While Position > 0
If Mid(Cell.Value & " ", Position + 2) Like "2[!A-Za-z0-9]*" Then
Cell.Characters(Position + 2, 1).Font.Superscript = True
End If
Position = InStr(Position + 1, Cell.Value, "yd2", vbTextCompare)
Loop
Next
End Sub


2018-05-26 15:20:04

Robert Cline

Excellent Tip Allen. Thank you.


This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.