How to Find and Replace Text in Microsoft Word

The fastest way to change multiple instances of the same word or phrase

Open the Find & Replace dialog by pressing Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Option+F on Mac. Type the word or phrase you want to find in the "Find what" field, type what you want to replace it with in the "Replace with" field, then click "Replace All" to change every instance at once. If you want to review each change before it happens, click "Replace" one at a time instead.

This feature saves time when you need to update names, dates, or terminology throughout a document. It also catches instances you might miss by hand — especially useful in long documents where the same phrase appears dozens of times.

Key Takeaways

Press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+Option+F (Mac) to open Find & Replace, then type what you want to find and what you want to replace it with.
Click "Replace All" to change every instance at once, or "Replace" to review each change before it happens.
Use "Match case" if you need to distinguish between "John" and "john", or "Whole words only" to avoid changing "cat" inside "category".
The "More" or "Format" button lets you search for specific formatting — like bold text or a particular font — and replace it with different formatting.

Finding exact matches without changing similar words

By default, Find & Replace will change every instance of your search term, even if it appears inside a longer word. If you search for "cat" it will change "cat", "cats", "category", and "concatenate" all at once.

To avoid this, check the box labeled "Whole words only" before you search. This tells Word to change only instances where your term stands alone, surrounded by spaces or punctuation. Now searching for "cat" will change only the word "cat" by itself.

If you need to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase — for example, to change "john" but not "John" — check "Match case" instead. This is useful when you are correcting a name that was typed incorrectly in some places but correctly in others.

Replacing formatting, not just words

You can search for text with specific formatting and replace it with text in different formatting. Click the "More" button (Windows) or "Format" button (Mac) to expand the dialog and see additional options.

For example, you might search for all instances of a word that are underlined and replace them with the same word in bold instead. Type the word in the "Find what" field, click "Format" below that field, choose "Font", then select "Underline". Now type the same word in the "Replace with" field, click "Format" below that field, and choose bold. Click "Replace All" and Word will find every underlined instance and replace it with a bolded version.

This approach works for font changes, color changes, paragraph spacing, and other formatting attributes. It is particularly useful when you inherit a document with inconsistent formatting and need to standardize it quickly.

Undoing a replace if something went wrong

If you click "Replace All" and the results are not what you expected, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) when ready to undo the entire operation. Word will revert every change at once, returning the document to its state before you opened Find & Replace.

This is why clicking "Replace" one at a time is sometimes safer when you are uncertain about the scope of your changes. You can review each replacement as it happens and stop if you see something unexpected. Once you close the Find & Replace dialog, undoing becomes harder if you have made other edits in the meantime.

Using wildcards and special characters in searches

For more advanced searches, you can use wildcards — special symbols that represent unknown characters or patterns. Click "More" (Windows) or "Format" (Mac), then check the box labeled "Use wildcards" or "Use regular expressions" depending on your version.

The most common wildcard is the period (.), which represents any single character. For example, searching for "c.t" will find "cat", "cot", "cut", and "cit". The asterisk (*) represents any number of characters, so "c*t" will find "cat", "court", "cement", and "cart".

This feature is powerful but takes practice. If you are new to wildcards, start with straightforward searches and test them on a copy of your document first. The Word Help menu contains a full list of wildcard symbols and what each one does.

Finding and replacing across multiple documents

If you need to make the same change in several Word documents, you can search across all of them at once. Open the Find & Replace dialog, then look for an option labeled "Find All" or a button that says "Search in" or "Other Documents". The exact wording varies by Word version.

Click that button and select the folder containing your documents. Word will search every .docx file in that folder and show you a list of every match. You can then review the results and decide whether to replace them. This saves you from opening each document individually and running Find & Replace in each one.

Be cautious with this feature on folders you do not fully control or documents you did not create. Always make a backup copy of your files before running a multi-document replace operation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I search for a line break or paragraph mark?

Yes. In the "Find what" field, type ^p to represent a paragraph break or ^l (lowercase L) to represent a line break. For example, searching for "word1^pword2" will find instances where "word1" ends a paragraph and "word2" starts the next one. You can then replace it with "word1 word2" to join them on the same line.

What if I want to find text but keep part of it when I replace?

Use parentheses and the "Use wildcards" option. Search for "(John) Smith" and replace with "\1 Doe" — the \1 represents whatever was inside the first set of parentheses. This will change "John Smith" to "John Doe" while keeping the first name intact. The exact syntax varies by Word version, so check the Help menu for your specific version.

Does Find & Replace work in tables?

Yes, it searches inside table cells just like regular text. If you want to limit your search to only one table, select that table first, then open Find & Replace. Word will search only within your selection.

Can I search for text in comments or tracked changes?

Find & Replace searches the main document text by default. To search comments or tracked changes, you must first accept or reject all tracked changes, or delete all comments. Then run Find & Replace on the remaining text.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.