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How to Search for Literal Tildes in Excel Find and Replace

Algirdas Jasaitis Oct 9, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to locate a literal tilde character (~) within a spreadsheet using the Find and Replace tool, but the search fails because the tilde is treated as a special wildcard escape character.

How to Search for Literal Tildes in Excel Find and Replace

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Using the Find and Replace dialog to search for specific data identifiers or strings that contain one or more tilde characters.
Observed behavior: Excel interprets the single tilde as an escape command for wildcards rather than a regular text character, causing the search to either return incorrect matches or fail to find the specific identifier.

Before you start

Ensure your spreadsheet is open and identify the specific range or columns you want to search to prevent unintended replacements across the entire workbook.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Double Tildes to Escape the Wildcard

Enter two consecutive tildes to force Excel to recognize and search for a single literal tilde character.

In Excel, the tilde (~) is a system character used to escape wildcards like asterisks (*) and question marks (?). To bypass this and search for the tilde itself, you must escape the escape character by doubling it.

Open Find and Replace

Press the Ctrl + F keyboard shortcut to open the Find and Replace dialog box in your Excel workbook.

Enter the Search String

In the 'Find what' input field, type two tildes (~~) for every single literal tilde you want to locate. For example, to find 'Data~Set', you must type 'Data~~Set'.

Execute the Search

Click the 'Find Next' button to locate the first instance, or 'Find All' to see a list of all cells containing the literal tilde in your designated search range.

Use Double Tildes to Escape the Wildcard

Excel 2010 Compatibility: A few users have reported glitches with the double-tilde escape sequence in Excel 2010. If it fails, ensure there are no trailing spaces in your search box, or try selecting a narrower range of cells before searching.

Find and Replace Data Easily

Search and Replace Data with WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Spreadsheet provides powerful and highly compatible data search capabilities, perfectly mirroring Excel's Find and Replace features. You can easily manage wildcards, search literal characters, and clean up your data seamlessly.

1. Launch WPS Spreadsheet: Open WPS Office and select Spreadsheet to begin working with your data.
2. Open Your File: Load the Excel file where you need to perform the search and replace operation.
3. Open Find Dialog: Press Ctrl + F or navigate to the Home tab and click on Find and Replace.
4. Search with Wildcards: Type ~~ in the search box to find literal tildes, utilizing the same reliable escape rules.
5. Locate Matches: Click Find All to highlight every cell containing your specified search string immediately.

Free, lightweight, and fast spreadsheet processing toolFully compatible with Microsoft Office formats (.xlsx, .xls, .csv)Supports identical Find and Replace wildcard logic for a zero-learning-curve transitionTabbed viewing interface to manage multiple workbooks in one window

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Excel use the tilde (~) as a special character?

In Excel, the tilde (~) acts as an escape character specifically for wildcard symbols like the asterisk (*) and question mark (?). This mechanism allows users to search for actual asterisks or question marks in their data by preceding them with a tilde, such as ~* or ~?.

How do I search for a question mark (?) literally in Excel?

Since the question mark is a wildcard that represents any single character, searching for it directly will yield incorrect results. To search for a literal question mark, you must escape it by typing ~? into the 'Find what' box.

Does the double tilde trick work in Excel's Replace function as well?

Yes. If you need to replace a literal tilde with another character, type ~~ in the 'Find what' box and type your desired new text in the 'Replace with' box. Excel will successfully replace the actual tilde without altering surrounding text.

How do I search for an asterisk (*) in my spreadsheet without highlighting everything?

The asterisk is a wildcard representing any number of characters. To search for a literal asterisk without returning every cell with text, type ~* in the Find and Replace dialog.

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