--- title: Clean up data fast with Find & Replace description: Clean up dates and other inconsistencies in Excel spreadsheets quickly using the Find & Replace function to save time and effort. image: https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/hubfs/Stock%20Images/hazel-z-FocSgUZ10JM-unsplash.jpg --- [![logo](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/hubfs/logo.png)](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk) - [Home](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk) - [Private Course](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/private-courses) - [Public Course](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/public-course-dates) - [Tips](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/tips-and-news) - [Contact us](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/contact) - [Home](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk) - [Private Course](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/private-courses) - [Public Course](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/public-course-dates) - [Tips](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/tips-and-news) - [Contact us](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/contact) [0800 044 3779](tel://08000443779) [Excel](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/tips-and-news/tag/excel) # Clean up data fast with Find & Replace [Woodthorpe IT](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/tips-and-news/author/woodthorpe-it) 21 April, 2026 ![](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/hubfs/Stock%20Images/hazel-z-FocSgUZ10JM-unsplash.jpg) If you ever receive spreadsheets from other systems or people, you’ve probably seen inconsistent formatting — especially with things like dates, codes, or product numbers. Fixing them cell by cell is slow and frustrating. Excel has a built-in tool that can fix this in seconds. Press **Ctrl + H** to open **Find and Replace**. This lets you search for something and replace it with something else across a whole sheet, or even an entire workbook. **Example: Removing full stops from dates** Let’s say your dates look like this: 15.01.2026 but you need them to be: 15/01/2026 or 15012026. ![Find-and-replace-clean-data-excel](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Find-and-replace-clean-data-excel.gif?width=449&height=212&name=Find-and-replace-clean-data-excel.gif)Here’s how to fix them: 1. Press **Ctrl + H** 2. In **Find what**, type a full stop: . 3. In **Replace with**, type what you want instead — for example / or leave it blank to remove the full stops 4. Click **Replace All** Excel will instantly update every date in the selected range (or the whole sheet) in one go. This same trick works for: - Removing spaces or unwanted characters - Changing commas to full stops - Fixing codes, postcodes, or reference numbers It’s one of the fastest ways to clean up messy data - and a huge time-saver when working with imported spreadsheets. 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