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Microsoft Word's Find feature lets you search through lengthy documents for a particular
word, phrase, or character string. You can choose to selectively or automatically replace the
searched text with a different word, phrase, or character string. You access the Find feature
differently in Word 2003's menu and toolbar interface than in Word 2007 and 2010s menu
ribbon interface, but the dialog boxes work in similar ways in all versions. Follow the steps
below to learn how to use the "Find" and "Find and Replace" features to your best advantage.
Ad
Method 1
Finding Text
1. <img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in Microsoft
Word Documents Step 1' src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/5/55/Use%22Find%22-and-%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-WordDocuments-Step-1-Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-1-Version3.jpg" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn"
onload="WH.performance.clearMarks('image1_rendered');
WH.performance.mark('image1_rendered');">
1
Decide how much of the document you wish to search. If you want to search only a
portion of the Word document, highlight the portion you wish to search by holding
down your left mouse button and dragging over it with your cursor. To search the
entire document, proceed to the next step.
2.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in Microsoft
Word Documents Step 2' src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/6/6b/Use%22Find%22-and-%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-WordDocuments-Step-2-Version-2.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-2-Version2.jpg" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
2
Display the "Find and Replace" dialog box. The "Find and Replace" dialog is a
tabbed dialog box, where you enter the text or formatting you're looking for.
o In Word 2003, display the "Find and Replace" dialog by selecting "Find" from
the Edit menu.
o In Word 2007, display the "Find and Replace" dialog by selecting "Find" from
the Find dropdown in the Editing group in the Home menu ribbon
o In Word 2010, display the "Find and Replace" dialog by selecting "Advanced
Find" from the Find dropdown Editing group in the Home menu ribbon.
(Selecting "Find" will display the Navigation Pane, which has different
document search capabilities than the "Find and Replace" dialog does.)
o You can also display the "Find and Replace" dialog by pressing the "Ctrl" and
"H" keys on your keyboard.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 3'
src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/9/95/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-3Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-3-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
3
Enter the text to search for in the "Find what:" dropdown field. If you are looking
for a word or phrase you've looked for previously, you can click the down arrow at the
right edge of the field and then select the desired word or phrase from the previous
entries listed in the dropdown list.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 4'
src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/8/84/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-4Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-4-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
Check the boxes for any search options you want to use. Word can do more than
search for the exact text in the form you typed it into the "Find what:" field. You can
select from a number of search options to broaden or restrict your search. Each option
is listed on the Find page of the "Find and Replace" dialog with a checkbox in front of
it. If you don't see the options list, click the "More >>" button to display them. A
partial list is given below.
o Match case. Check this option to look only for text typed in the same case as
what you typed in the "Find what:" field. Checking this box will force the
search to ignore "Match" and "MATCH" when you type in "match."
o Match whole words only. Check this option to look only for a text string when
it appears in a word by itself, not when it appears as part of another word.
Checking this box means that the string "match" will be ignored when it
appears in such words as "matching" or "matchless."
o Sounds like. Check this option to find homophones of the word you typed in.
If you typed in "fair," this option would also find instances of "fare."
o Find all word forms. Check this option to find singular, plural, present tense,
past tense, and participle forms of the word you're searching for. If you check
this option, typing "matched" will also find "match" and "matching."
o Ignore punctuation characters. Check this option to ignore the distinction
between words with punctuation in them and words without it. If you check
this option, typing "can't" (contraction of "can not") will also find "cant" (a
synonym for "angle").
o Ignore white space characters. Check this option to ignore intervening spaces
between characters in the text string. If you check this option, typing "cannot"
will also find instances of "can not." Using this option together with "Ignore
punctuation characters" can help you check for consistency in rendering a
word that may be rendered as a compound word, a hyphenated word, or as 2
words.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 5'
src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/9/97/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-5Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-5-Version-3.jpg"
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5
Choose how much of the document you wish to search. Click "Find In" and select
"Current Selection" to search only the portion of the text you highlighted or "Main
Document" to search the entire document. (If you did not select any text, this will be
the only available option.)
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 6'
src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/6/69/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-6-
Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-6-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
6
Click the "Find Next" button. Clicking "Find Next" will highlight the first instance
following the cursor position in your document that matches the text you typed in the
"Find what:" field. By clicking "Find Next" again, you will jump to the next instance.
o If you want to find all instances at once, in Word 2003, check the "All items
found in" box; all instances will be highlighted. (To turn the feature off, click
anywhere in the document.) In Word 2007 and 2010, click "Reading
Highlight" and select "Highlight All." To turn off the highlight, click "Reading
Highlight" again and select "Clear Highlighting." Use this feature to find
overuses of a particular word in your document, so that you can systematically
go through the text, either deleting unnecessary uses or replacing the word
with a synonym.
Method 2
Replacing Text
1. <img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in Microsoft
Word Documents Step 7' src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/a/ad/Use%22Find%22-and-%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-WordDocuments-Step-7-Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-7-Version3.jpg" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
1
Decide how much of the document you wish to replace text in. If you wish to
replace text in only a portion of the Word document, drag your cursor over the part
you wish to work with. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
2. <img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in Microsoft
Word Documents Step 8' src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/d/d3/Use%22Find%22-and-%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-WordDocuments-Step-8-Version-2.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-8-Version2.jpg" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
2
Display the "Find and Replace" dialog box. You can do this the same way in your
version of Word as if you want to simply find text and then click the "Replace" tab, or
you can do it the following way:
o In Word 2003, select "Replace" from the Edit menu.
o In Word 2007 and 2010, select "Replace" from the Editing group.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 9'
src="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/e/eb/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-9Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-9-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
3
Enter the text to search for in the "Find what:" dropdown field.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 10'
src="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/d/de/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-10Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-10-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
Enter the replacement text in the "Replace with:" field. As with the "Find what:"
field, you can also click the down arrow at the right of the "Replace with:" field to
select a previously typed entry.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 11'
src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/e/e2/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-11Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-11-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
5
Use the text search options to restrict or broaden your search as necessary. These
are the same options described above under "Finding Text."
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 12'
src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/9/9c/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-12Version-2.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-12-Version-2.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
6
Choose how much of the document you wish to replace text in. Click "Find In"
and select "Current Selection" to search only the portion of the text you highlighted or
"Main Document" to search the entire document. (If you did not select any text, this
will be the only available option.)
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 13'
src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/7/77/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-13Version-2.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-13-Version-2.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
7
Search the document for text to replace. You can do this in either of 2 ways:
o Click "Find Next" to find the first instance of the text to be replaced, then click
"Replace" to replace that text. Repeat the procedure for each instance you wish
to replace.
o Click "Replace All" to replace every instance of the text to be replaced with
the new text. (This option works best if you restrict it either by selecting a
portion of the text for the search and replace, restricting the replacement to
whole words only, or both.)
Method 3
Finding and Replacing Text Using Wildcards
1. <img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in Microsoft
Word Documents Step 14' src="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/e/e5/Use%22Find%22-and-%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-WordDocuments-Step-14-Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-14-Version3.jpg" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
1
Decide how much of the document you are going to work with. If you want to
work with only a portion of the document, select that portion of the text by dragging
over it with your mouse. If you want to work with the entire document, do nothing.
2. <img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in Microsoft
Word Documents Step 15' src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/6/6e/Use%22Find%22-and-%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-WordDocuments-Step-15-Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-15-Version3.jpg" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
3
Check the "Use wildcards" box. The "Use wildcards" checkbox is found with the
other search options. If you don't see the box, click "More >>" to display the search
options.
4. <img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in Microsoft
Word Documents Step 17' src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/4/47/Use%22Find%22-and-%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-WordDocuments-Step-17-Version-2.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-17-Version2.jpg" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
4
Enter the text to search for in the "Find what:" field, using 1 or more wildcard
characters. Wildcard characters replace 1 or more regular characters in your search
text. You can type the character directly or select it from a list by clicking "Special"
and selecting it from 1 of the options at the top of the dropdown list. A list of
wildcards is given below:
o Question mark (?). The question mark wildcard represents a single character.
You can type "r?t" to find all 3-letter words that begin with "r" and end with
"t," such as "rat," "rot," and "rut."
o Asterisk (*). The asterisk wildcard represents a string of 1 or more characters.
You can type "r*t" to find all words that begin with "r" and end with "t," such
as "rat," "rot," "rut," "rant," "rest," "rivet," "resist," and "restaurant."
any of the wildcard characters to flag Word that you are searching for the
punctuation marks instead of using them as wildcard characters.
o Parentheses. Use parentheses to group text characters to be operated on by the
wildcard, as noted above for the less-than and greater-than sign wildcards and
also to note which wildcard should be evaluated first. Typing "<(be)*(ed)>"
will find all words that begin with "be" and end with "ed," such as "bedecked,"
"bejeweled," and "besotted."
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 18'
src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/4/4a/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-18Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-18-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
5
Enter the replacement text in the "Replace with:" field, if you are replacing text.
<img alt='Image titled Use "Find" and "Find and Replace" Features in
Microsoft Word Documents Step 19'
src="http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/a/a0/Use-%22Find%22-and%22Find-and-Replace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-19Version-3.jpg/aid2007620-728px-Use-%22Find%22-and-%22Find-andReplace%22-Features-in-Microsoft-Word-Documents-Step-19-Version-3.jpg"
width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">
6
Choose how much of the document to search and replace and implement the
search/replacement. Follow the last 2 steps as given above in either "Finding Text"
or "Replacing Text."
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Tips
When doing searches and replaces, make sure both the searched for text and the
replacement text are the same part of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc.)
and if verbs, both are the same tense.
If your document is lengthy, the find and replace search may take a while. You can
cancel the search at any time by pressing the "ESC" key on your keyboard.
If you use the "Find all word forms" option with a word that can be more than 1 part
of speech, such as "saw," you'll be presented with a short list of variant forms for each
part of speech. In this instance, you'd click "saws" to indicate you mean "saw" as a
noun and "sawing" to indicate "saw" is used as a verb.
You can use the Find and Replace dialog to search for and replace formatting and
special characters as well as text.
Warnings
When entering any of the example entries into the "Find what:" or "Replace with:"
fields, do not include the quotes. They are used only to set examples (and field and
button names) off from the rest of this article's text.
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Rodney Ruff, Omaha, NE; Microsoft Word user (Word 2007 on laptop, Word 2010 on
desktop)
Article Info
Categories: Microsoft Word
In other languages:
Espaol: usar las funciones ''Buscar'' y ''Buscar y Reemplazar'' en documentos de Microsoft
Word, :
Microsoft Word, Portugus: Utilizar os Recursos de "Encontrar" e "Encontrar e Substituir"
nos Documentos do Microsoft Word
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