Check if cell contains specific text (IF + SEARCH)
Customer support needs to triage incoming tickets in A2:A5. If a ticket's message contains the word Urgent (case-insensitive), label it as Priority; otherwise, label it as Normal. Fill the Priority status cells B2:B5 using an IF formula that checks for substring presence.
Your solution should use cell references so it updates automatically when Test Case input values change.
Notes
Excel doesn't have a built-in CONTAINS() function. The standard industry pattern combines SEARCH and ISNUMBER: SEARCH("Urgent", A2) returns the character position if found, or #VALUE! if not found. Wrapping with ISNUMBER(...) converts the position into TRUE or FALSE, which cleanly feeds into IF.
Function guide
FAQ
Is there a CONTAINS function in Excel?
No. Excel does not have a native CONTAINS function. The universal method is =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("text", cell)), value_if_true, value_if_false).
What is the difference between SEARCH and FIND in Excel?
SEARCH is case-insensitive ('urgent' matches 'Urgent'). FIND is strictly case-sensitive. In most business text classifications, SEARCH is preferred.
Can I check multiple words at once?
Yes. You can combine OR or SUM: =IF(OR(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("urgent", A2)), ISNUMBER(SEARCH("asap", A2))), "Priority", "Normal").