Open Find and Replace with the keyboard shortcut
The fastest way to replace text in Microsoft Word is to press Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Option+F on Mac. This opens the Find and Replace dialog box directly. You do not need to navigate through menus.
If you prefer using the menu, go to the Home tab, select the arrow next to Find in the top-left corner, and click Replace. Both methods open the same 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.
- Use Replace All to change every instance at once, or Replace to change one at a time.
- Match Case and Find Whole Words Only let you control whether "Word" matches "word" or appears inside other words.
- You can search within the current document or all open documents by changing the search scope.
Enter 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 locate. This could be a single word, a phrase, or even part of a sentence.
The second field is labeled "Replace with." Type what you want to replace it with. If you want to delete the text instead of replacing it, leave this field empty and click Replace All.
Word searches from your cursor position forward through the document. If you want to search the entire document, move your cursor to the beginning first or use the search scope options.
Choose between Replace and Replace All
After you enter your search and replacement text, you have two main options. Replace changes one instance at a time. Word highlights the first match, and you decide whether to replace it. Click Replace again to move to the next match, or click Find Next to skip it without replacing.
Replace All changes every instance of your search term in one action. Word tells you how many replacements it made. Use this when you are confident the search term appears only where you want it replaced. For example, if you search for "teh" and replace it with "the," Replace All is safe because "teh" is almost always a typo.
If you use Replace All and make a mistake, press Ctrl+Z when ready to undo all replacements at once.
Use Match Case to control capitalization
By default, Word treats uppercase and lowercase letters as the same. If you search for "word," it finds "Word," "WORD," and "word." Check the Match Case box if you want to search for only the exact capitalization you typed.
This is useful when you need to replace a proper noun but leave common words alone. For example, you could search for "John" with Match Case on and replace it with "Jane" without accidentally changing "john" if it appears in a different context.
Find whole words only to avoid partial matches
By default, Word finds your search term even when it is part of a larger word. If you search for "cat," it finds "cat," "cats," "category," and "concatenate." Check Find Whole Words Only to match only the exact word you typed, surrounded by spaces or punctuation.
This prevents accidental replacements. For instance, searching for "read" with Find Whole Words Only checked will not match "bread" or "already."
Search within specific documents or all open files
Word lets you control where the search happens. Click the arrow next to "Search" to see your options. The default is "All," which searches your current document. You can also choose to search only the current section or all open documents at once.
Searching all open documents is useful if you are working on multiple related files and need to make the same change everywhere. Word will move through each document and show you the count of replacements made in each one.
Use wildcards and special characters for advanced searches
For more complex replacements, you can use wildcards and special characters. First, check the Use Wildcards box in the Find and Replace dialog. The caret symbol (^) represents special characters: ^p for paragraph breaks, ^t for tabs, and ^n for manual line breaks.
For example, if you want to find every paragraph that starts with a number and add text before it, you could search for "^([0-9])" and replace it with "Section ^1" to preserve the original number. This requires some practice, but it is powerful for large documents with repetitive formatting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a Replace All if I make a mistake?
Yes. Press Ctrl+Z when ready after Replace All to undo all replacements at once. Word keeps the undo action available as long as you have not closed the document or performed other actions.
How do I search for text that contains special characters like asterisks or question marks?
If Use Wildcards is checked, these characters have special meaning. Uncheck Use Wildcards to search for them as literal characters. If you need to search for them while wildcards are on, put a backslash before the character, like \* or \?.
What is the difference between Replace and Find Next?
Replace changes the current match and moves to the next one. Find Next skips the current match without changing it and moves to the next instance. Use Find Next when you want to review matches before replacing them.
Can I replace text with formatting, like bold or italics?
Yes, but it requires the Format button in the Find and Replace dialog. Click Format under "Replace with," choose the formatting you want (Bold, Italic, Font, etc.), and then click Replace All. The replacement text will carry that formatting.
Does Find and Replace work in headers and footers?
No, Find and Replace searches only the main document body by default. To search headers and footers, you must open them separately by double-clicking in the header or footer area, then use Find and Replace while that section is active.