Open Find and Replace with a keyboard shortcut or the menu

The fastest way to open Find and Replace in Word is to press Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Option+F on Mac. A dialog box will appear with two text fields: one for the text you want to find, and one for the text you want to replace it with.

If you prefer the menu, click the Home tab at the top of Word, then look for the Editing group on the right side of the ribbon. Click the dropdown arrow next to Find and select Replace. This opens the same dialog box.

You can also use Ctrl+F (or Command+F on Mac) to open just the Find pane if you only want to search without replacing. From there, click the three dots or arrow to expand to the full Replace dialog.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+Option+F (Mac) to open Find and Replace when ready.
  • Type the text you want to find in the first field and the replacement text in the second field, then click Replace or Replace All.
  • Replace All changes every instance at once, while Replace changes one at a time so you can review each match first.
  • Use the arrow next to Find and Replace to access advanced options like matching case, whole words only, or searching in specific document sections.
  • Word shows you how many replacements were made in a confirmation message after you finish.

Type your search term and replacement text

In the Find what: field, type the exact text you want to search for. This could be a single word, a phrase, or even part of a word. Word will highlight every match in your document as you type.

In the Replace with: field, type what you want to replace it with. If you want to delete the text entirely, leave this field blank and click Replace or Replace All. For example, if you want to remove all instances of "the old company name," type the name in Find what and leave Replace with empty.

Word is case-sensitive by default, meaning it treats "Smith" and "smith" as different. If you want to find all versions regardless of capitalization, click More (or the arrow icon) to expand options, then uncheck Match case.

Replace one instance at a time or all at once

After you enter your search and replacement text, you have two choices. Click Replace to change only the first match, review it, and then decide whether to replace the next one. This is safer when you are not completely sure the replacement is correct everywhere.

Click Replace All to change every instance in the document at once. Word will show you a message saying how many replacements were made. Use Replace All when you are confident the change should happen everywhere—for example, replacing a misspelled word throughout a long document.

If you click Replace, Word moves to the next match automatically. You can keep clicking Replace to go through them one by one, or switch to Replace All at any point if you decide the replacement is safe for the rest of the document.

Use advanced options for precise searches

Click the More button (or arrow icon, depending on your Word version) to reveal additional search options. Match case makes the search case-sensitive, so "Word" will not match "word." Find whole words only prevents Word from matching partial words—for example, searching for "cat" will not match "catalog."

Use wildcards lets you search using special characters that represent unknown text. For instance, ^p represents a paragraph break, so you can find and replace line breaks. Regular expressions (available in some Word versions) lets you use patterns for even more complex searches, though this requires knowledge of regex syntax.

Format and No Format buttons let you search for text with specific formatting—bold, italic, a particular font, or a heading style. This is useful if you want to replace only instances of a word that appear in bold, for example, while leaving other instances untouched.

Search within a specific section or format

By default, Find and Replace searches your entire document. If you want to limit the search to a specific part, select that text first before opening Find and Replace. Word will ask if you want to search only the selection or the whole document.

You can also use the Format button to search for text that has a specific style applied—such as "Heading 1" or "Normal." This is helpful in longer documents where you want to replace text only in headings, or only in body text, without affecting the other.

The No Format button clears any formatting criteria you have set, returning the search to plain text matching.

Review the replacement summary

After you click Replace All, Word displays a message box telling you exactly how many replacements were made. If the number is zero, it means Word found no matches for your search term. Check your spelling or try adjusting your search options (like unchecking Match case) and try again.

If you made a mistake, press Ctrl+Z (or Command+Z on Mac) when ready to undo all the replacements at once. This works even after you close the Find and Replace dialog, as long as you have not made other edits in between.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I search for line breaks or paragraph marks?

Yes. In the Find what field, type ^p to represent a paragraph break. In the Replace with field, type ^p again if you want to keep the break, or leave it blank to remove it. You can also use ^l (lowercase L) for a manual line break.

What if Find and Replace is not finding a word I know is in the document?

Check that Match case is unchecked if you are not sure of the capitalization. Also verify you have not accidentally selected just part of the document—if a selection is active, Word searches only within it. Close the dialog, click somewhere in the document to deselect, and try again.

Can I replace text with different text each time?

No, Find and Replace uses the same replacement text for every match. If you need different replacements, use Replace (not Replace All) to go through each match individually and type a different replacement for each one.

Does Find and Replace work in headers and footers?

Yes, but you must be editing the header or footer first. Double-click the header or footer area to enter edit mode, then open Find and Replace. It will search only within that header or footer, not the main document body.

Can I undo a Replace All if I made a mistake?

Yes. Press Ctrl+Z (or Command+Z on Mac) when ready after the replacement to undo all changes at once. This works as long as you have not made other edits afterward. If you have already closed the document, the undo history is lost.