MS Excel: EXACT function to compare two text strings

The EXACT function in Excel is used to compare two text strings and determine whether they are exactly the same—including case sensitivity. Unlike the regular equality operator (=), which ignores case, EXACT will only return TRUE if both text strings match exactly in content and case.

This makes EXACT particularly useful in scenarios like:

• Validating user input

• Comparing case-sensitive IDs or passwords

• Matching sensitive product codes

• Detecting inconsistencies in manually entered data

Syntax

=EXACT(text1, text2)

Parameters:

Argument	Description
text1	The first string or cell to compare
text2	The second string or cell to compare

Returns: TRUE if the texts are exactly the same (including case), otherwise FALSE.

Examples with Tables

Example 1: Identical Text, Same Case

=EXACT("Excel", "Excel")

Formula	Result
=EXACT("Excel", "Excel")	TRUE

Example 2: Identical Text, Different Case

=EXACT("Excel", "excel")

Formula	Result
=EXACT("Excel", "excel")	FALSE

Case matters! The lowercase "e" makes this comparison fail.

Example 3: Compare Cell Values

Assume:

• A1 = Admin

• B1 = admin

=EXACT(A1, B1)

A1	B1	Formula	Result
Admin	admin	=EXACT(A1, B1)	FALSE

Example 4: Use in Validation with IF

=IF(EXACT(A1, B1), "Match", "Mismatch")

A1	B1	Output
Report1	Report1	Match
Report1	report1	Mismatch

Why Use EXACT Instead of =

Method	Case-Sensitive	Use When...
=A1=B1	❌ No	You only care about value equality
EXACT	✅ Yes	Case accuracy is important

Summary

Feature	Description
Function Name	EXACT
Purpose	Compare two text strings, case-sensitive
Output Type	TRUE or FALSE (Boolean)
Case Sensitivity	✅ Yes
Common Uses	Data validation, QA, matching sensitive fields

Notes and Limitations

• EXACT does not ignore trailing spaces. "Excel " ≠ "Excel"

• Works only with text comparisons (non-text values are coerced to text).

• Useful in data cleaning and validation pipelines.

Related Functions

Function	Purpose
=	Compares values (not case-sensitive)
IF	Uses EXACT for conditional output
TEXT	Formats numbers as text before comparing
LOWER, UPPER	Convert strings to standard case for broader matching

Final Thoughts

The EXACT function is an essential tool for accurate string comparisons, especially when case sensitivity matters. Whether you're cleaning up data, validating inputs, or comparing key codes—EXACT ensures precision that regular = checks may miss.