Open Find and Replace with the keyboard shortcut
The fastest way to open Find and Replace in Word is to press Ctrl+H on your keyboard (or Cmd+H on Mac). This opens a dialog box where you can type the text you want to find and what you want to replace it with. The dialog stays open until you close it, so you can make multiple replacements without reopening it.
If you prefer using the menu, go to the Home tab at the top of Word, then click Replace in the Editing group on the right side of the ribbon. This opens the same dialog box.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl+H (or Cmd+H on Mac) to open Find and Replace when ready without using the menu.
- Type the text you want to find in the "Find what" field and the replacement text in the "Replace with" field.
- Click "Replace All" to change every instance at once, or "Replace" to change one at a time and review each change.
- Use "Find Next" to locate text without replacing it, which is useful when you want to see where something appears before making changes.
- The dialog box stays open after you replace text, so you can search for and replace multiple different words in the same document without closing and reopening.
Type what you want to find and what to replace it with
In the Find and Replace dialog box, you will see two main fields. The top field is labeled "Find what" — type the text you want to search for here. The second field is labeled "Replace with" — type what you want to replace it with.
For example, if you wrote "colour" throughout a document but want to change it to "color", you would type "colour" in the Find what field and "color" in the Replace with field. Leave the Replace with field empty if you want to delete text instead of replacing it with something new.
Replace one instance at a time or all at once
After you type your search term and replacement, you have two main choices. Click Replace All to change every instance of the text in your document at once. Word will tell you how many replacements it made. This is fast but you do not see each change before it happens.
Click Replace to change only the first instance Word finds. After you click Replace, Word moves to the next instance so you can decide whether to replace that one too. This takes longer but lets you review each change. Use Find Next if you want to locate text without replacing it — this is useful when you want to see where something appears in your document first.
Match case and whole words to narrow your search
By default, Find and Replace ignores whether letters are uppercase or lowercase. If you search for "the", it will find "the", "The", and "THE". If you want to match only the exact case you typed, check the box labeled Match case.
The Match entire word only option prevents Word from finding your search term inside other words. For example, if you search for "read" without this option checked, Word will also find and highlight "reading" and "reader". Checking this box means Word will only find "read" as its own word. These options are useful when you want precise control over what gets replaced.
Use wildcards and special characters for advanced searches
If you need to find text that varies slightly — like any number, or any letter — you can use wildcards. First, check the box labeled Use wildcards (you may need to click "More" to see this option). Then use special symbols: . (period) stands for any single character, * (asterisk) stands for any number of characters, and ^ (caret) stands for a paragraph break.
For example, if you want to find any three-digit number, you would type ... (three periods) in the Find what field. If you want to find the word "test" followed by any characters and then "ing", you would type test.*ing. This is a more advanced feature, but it is powerful when you need to find patterns rather than exact text.
Close the dialog and undo if you made a mistake
Once you finish replacing text, click the X button or press Escape to close the Find and Replace dialog. Your replacements stay in the document.
If you replaced something you did not mean to, press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) when ready to undo the last replacement. If you used Replace All and changed many instances at once, one undo will reverse all of them. If you made the mistake a while ago and have done other work since, you may need to undo multiple times to get back to before the replacement happened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I search for line breaks or paragraph marks?
Yes. In the Find what field, type ^p to search for a paragraph break or ^l (lowercase L) to search for a line break. You can also use these in the Replace with field if you want to add or remove breaks. For example, typing ^p^p in Replace with will insert two paragraph breaks.
What if Find and Replace says "Search key not found"?
This means Word could not locate the text you typed. Check that you spelled it correctly and that it actually exists in your document. If you checked "Match case", try unchecking it — the text might be capitalized differently than you typed. If you checked "Match entire word only", uncheck it to see if the text appears inside other words.
Can I undo Replace All if I changed the wrong thing?
Yes. Press Ctrl+Z when ready after Replace All to undo every replacement it made. If you have done other work since the replacement, you may need to undo several times. If you closed the document without saving, the replacements are lost and the original text returns when you reopen it.
Does Find and Replace work in headers and footers?
Yes, but you have to be in the header or footer when you open Find and Replace. Double-click the header or footer area to enter it, then press Ctrl+H. Word will search only that header or footer. To search the entire document including headers and footers, make sure you are in the main document body before opening Find and Replace.