FIND locates the first exact-case appearance of a smaller text string inside a larger one. The answer is a 1-based starting position, not the found text itself. For example, =FIND("-",A2) is expected to return 4 because the first hyphen in ORD-4821-ON is the fourth character. See the current official FIND reference.

This tutorial covers one canonical FIND function, not a separate page for localized names, byte-count variants or aliases. Use the formula when the goal is to locate text within another cell. Keep raw source values in column A and transformed results in another column. For exact matching against full codes or full rows, consider a lookup or validation workflow instead of mistaking a substring/position operation for a complete data-quality check.

=FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])

Official interpretation: The ONLYOFFICE FIND/FINDB reference explicitly calls FIND case-sensitive and documents #VALUE! if nothing matches. Do not confuse it with SEARCH, whose official reference says case-insensitive. FINDB is separately documented in the same help page for byte-oriented scripts; do not assume it is an alias of FIND or create a second page simply because of this shared reference.

Square brackets are documentation notation for optional parameters; do not type them into a real formula. The = sign is required for a formula in a sheet. The function name is English because these examples follow English ONLYOFFICE help.

The current English-language ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor function index and the linked function page document this function as part of ONLYOFFICE Docs Spreadsheet Editor. Both references were checked 2026-10-11 (UTC). The function help is not scoped to a numbered product build: first-supported version = UNKNOWN from this evidence. The index is not a promise that every historical Docs edition, Desktop Editors version, embedded editor or mobile app accepts the formula. No native edition/platform has been opened during this research run.

The Docs release history and the separate Desktop Editors history were consulted as version context, not as proof of a particular introduction version for this function. A Desktop release number must not be silently treated as the Docs server version. If supporting older releases, test the exact installed build and save the result before changing the wording.

For an English formula, use = plus the uppercase function name, parentheses, commas between arguments, and straight double quotes around literal strings, as illustrated in the official function-insertion guide. ONLYOFFICE lets the user choose a Formula Language and regional settings (official Advanced Settings); localized names or argument separators should be checked in the installed editor’s Function Arguments panel. Do not assume a delimiter or English spelling is universal in every locale. The examples below use English names, comma separators, 1-based character positions and plain ASCII strings; avoid date/numeric autocorrection by formatting source cells as text where appropriate.

Open a blank ONLYOFFICE workbook. In the first sheet, enter the exact raw text below into A1:A9. The examples treat these as text, not formula expressions. Keep all results in B or C so that the original values are preserved for auditing.

Important for A5: type the literal value INV|2026|0412 using normal vertical-bar characters. The | codes in the Markdown table only keep its columns aligned; do not type those codes into the spreadsheet. In A1 type Source text as a normal header. Do not copy backticks into the worksheet.

1. Select a result cell outside column A; enter each formula shown below, starting with =.
2. Press Enter; compare it to the expected result listed for the exact row. Expected results are calculations/logic checks, not observed output from ONLYOFFICE.
3. If a result differs, check input capitalization, hidden spaces, typographic quotation marks, cell format and locale. Re-enter the formula using Formula → Function or the Function Arguments helper.
4. Use Formula → Show Formulas to distinguish formulas from literal text and, if appropriate, recalculate using the Formula tab (both operations are described in the official editor instructions).

Use the input cells exactly as shown. Type each formula into the indicated output cell (B2:B7); leaving the originals in column A avoids accidental overwrites.

How the position/occurrence reasoning was verified: these examples use literal ASCII text and independent character/substring operations. For an official expected error, such as #VALUE! on a no-match result, that classification comes from the directly cited ONLYOFFICE function documentation, not from executing the error in ONLYOFFICE. A result with a different case, extra space or character changes the test input and therefore requires a fresh expectation.

Extract a purchase-order number between hyphens

The text in A2 is ORD-4821-ON. To pull out 4821, use:

=MID(A2,FIND("-",A2)+1,FIND("-",A2,FIND("-",A2)+1)-FIND("-",A2)-1)

Expected 4821 (text). The first FIND returns 4; the second, starting after position 4, returns 9; thus MID starts at 5 and extracts 9-4-1 = 4 characters. This independently calculated chain uses the separately documented MID and FIND syntax. Native nested-function calculation is untested; a missing second hyphen produces a no-match problem, not a safe fallback.

Extract a prefix

=LEFT(A2,FIND("-",A2)-1) is expected to return ORD, using LEFT to take the three characters before the first separator. For rows without a hyphen, guard the FIND failure explicitly with a checked error-handling pattern, rather than assuming it returns zero.

1. A case mismatch is not a near match: the official guide says FIND("on", "ON") does not locate the uppercase text; the documented no-match result is #VALUE!.
2. Positions are 1-based, not Python/JavaScript zero-based. A returned 4 means the fourth character, not index 3 in a zero-based programming language.
3. When start_num is supplied, it changes where FIND begins scanning, but the returned number remains a position within the original within_text, not an offset from the start.
4. The documentation does not establish exact handling for every zero/out-of-range start index or Unicode surrogate-pair case across versions; flag those cases for native tests. Do not generalize Excel edge-case messages to ONLYOFFICE.
5. A single FIND returns the first qualifying match. For the second separator use its optional third argument or a nested expression as above.

Unresolved behaviour: Handling of empty find_text, invalid start_num, wildcard tokens, and non-ASCII positions not established by reviewed ONLYOFFICE help; native review required. Testing with simple ASCII strings is intentional: no assumption is made that byte-based variants, localized spellings, or Unicode indexing behave identically.

If the editor still disagrees with the expected ASCII outputs, first verify the current formula by selecting the result cell, then confirm each literal in A2:A9 matches the practice table. A copied formula may move references unintentionally; use anchored references only when you need them. Do not alter production data to make a tutorial example appear to pass.

ONLYOFFICE and Microsoft Excel both document FIND as case-sensitive and SEARCH as case-insensitive. Microsoft explicitly describes zero-start errors and some Unicode behaviour in its own products, but those Excel-specific details are not confirmed for every ONLYOFFICE edition. See Microsoft troubleshooting and the ONLYOFFICE official FIND description.

The compatibility statement above is limited to documented function roles and English-language syntax. No Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or ONLYOFFICE comparison formula was actually run for this batch. Avoid claiming that the same error codes, Unicode positions, wildcard language, formula separators and byte-based variants are identical across products.

Only an existing source-confirmed URL is linked as a local site guide. Other named related functions are review-stage references, not claims that their pages are published or currently linked on the live website.

• ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor — function documentation
• ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor function index
• Docs release history
• Desktop Editors history
• official Advanced Settings
• documented MID
• LEFT

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor.

• No genuine ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.