Open Find and Replace with the keyboard shortcut
The fastest way to open Find and Replace in Word is to press Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Option+F 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 the document, then click Replace in the Editing group on the right side of the ribbon. This opens the same dialog box as the keyboard shortcut.
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.
- Use Replace All only when you are certain the word or phrase appears nowhere else in the document where you do not want it changed.
- The Find and Replace dialog includes options to match case, whole words only, and search in specific directions, which prevent accidental replacements.
Type your search term and replacement text
In the Find and Replace dialog, the first field is labeled Find what:. Type the exact text you want to search for — a word, phrase, or even a single character. Word will highlight every instance of that text in your document.
The second field is labeled Replace with:. Type what you want to replace the found text with. If you want to delete the text instead of replacing it with something else, leave this field empty and click Replace or Replace All.
Choose Replace or Replace All based on what you need
Replace changes one instance at a time. When you click it, Word highlights the next match and waits for you to confirm. This is the safer choice when you are not sure whether every instance of the word should be changed. For example, if you search for "bank," you might want to replace it in some places but not others — "river bank" should stay as is, but "savings bank" might need to become "financial institution."
Replace All changes every instance in the entire document at once. Use this only when you are certain the text should be replaced everywhere. If you replace "teh" with "the," Replace All is the right choice because "teh" is always a typo. If you replace "John" with "Jane," use Replace All only if every John in the document should become Jane.
Use matching options to avoid wrong replacements
Below the Find and Replace fields, you will see a button labeled More (or Options on some versions). Click it to reveal additional search settings that make replacements more precise.
Match case means Word will only find text that matches the exact capitalization you typed. If you search for "Word" with Match case on, it will not find "word" or "WORD." This prevents replacing a proper noun with a common word by accident.
Find whole words only means Word will only match the exact word, not part of a longer word. If you search for "read" without this option, it will also find "reading," "reader," and "thread." With this option on, only the standalone word "read" is found and replaced.
Search direction and other precision tools
The Search dropdown lets you choose whether Word searches forward from your cursor position, backward, or through the entire document. Most of the time you will leave this set to All, which searches the whole document regardless of where your cursor is.
If your document contains multiple sections or you only want to replace text in a specific part, you can select that section first before opening Find and Replace. Word will then search only within your selection.
The Format button (available in the More options) lets you search for text with specific formatting — bold, italic, a certain font, or a certain font size. This is useful if you want to replace only bold instances of a word, or change all red text to blue text.
Review changes before confirming Replace All
If you use Replace All, Word shows you a message at the end telling you how many replacements were made. If the number surprises you — if it is much higher or lower than you expected — press Ctrl+Z when ready to undo the replacements and try again with stricter search settings.
For important documents, use Replace (one at a time) instead of Replace All the first time you search for a term. This way you see each match before it changes and can skip any that should not be replaced.
Close the dialog and continue editing
Once you have finished replacing text, click the X button or press Escape to close the Find and Replace dialog. Your document remains open and ready to edit. Any replacements you made are now part of the document and will be saved when you save the file.
If you made a mistake, undo the replacements by pressing Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) when ready. You can undo multiple times to go back several steps if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Find and Replace to search for line breaks or paragraph marks?
Yes. In the Find field, type ^p to search for paragraph breaks or ^l (lowercase L) to search for line breaks. In the Replace field, type the same code to replace with paragraph breaks or line breaks. This is useful for removing extra blank lines or reformatting how text is divided.
What if I want to replace text only in a table or a specific section?
Select the table or section first by clicking and dragging to highlight it. Then open Find and Replace. Word will search only within your selection. If you do not select anything, Find and Replace searches the entire document.
Does Find and Replace work the same way in Word Online as in the desktop version?
Word Online has a simpler Find and Replace tool. Press Ctrl+H to open it, but you will have fewer options like Format and Match case. For complex replacements, use the desktop version of Word instead.
Can I undo a Replace All if I made a mistake?
Yes. Press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) when ready after Replace All to undo all the replacements at once. If you wait or make other edits first, you may not be able to undo the entire batch.