How to Find and Replace Text in Word

Open Find and Replace with a keyboard shortcut

The fastest way to find and replace text in Word is to press Ctrl+H on your keyboard. This opens the Find and Replace dialog box immediately, and you can start typing what you want to find right away. If you prefer using your mouse, you can also click the Edit menu at the top of the window, then select Find and Replace from the dropdown.

The Find and Replace dialog looks the same whether you use the keyboard shortcut or the menu. You will see two text boxes stacked on top of each other: one labeled "Find" and one labeled "Replace With". Below those are several buttons and options that control how Word searches through your document.

Key Takeaways

Press Ctrl+H to open Find and Replace, or use the Edit menu and select Find and Replace.
Type the text you want to find in the top box and the replacement text in the bottom box, then click Replace All to change every instance at once.
Use Match Case if you only want to replace text that matches the exact uppercase and lowercase letters you typed.
Click Find Next to review each instance one at a time before replacing, so you do not accidentally change text you want to keep.
Save your document before using Replace All, because you cannot always undo it if you make a mistake.

Type what you want to find and what to replace it with

In the "Find" box, type the exact text you want to search for. This could be a single word, a phrase, or even a string of numbers. In the "Replace With" box below it, type what you want Word to put in place of the text you found. If you want to delete text entirely, leave the "Replace With" box empty and Word will remove the found text without putting anything in its place.

For example, if your document says "colour" throughout and you want to change it to "color", you would type "colour" in the Find box and "color" in the Replace With box. Word will then find every instance of "colour" and replace it with "color" when you tell it to. Be as specific as possible with what you type — the more exact your search text, the fewer mistakes Word will make.

Choose between Replace and Replace All

After you type your search text and replacement text, you have two main options. Replace changes only the next instance that Word finds, one at a time. Replace All changes every instance of your search text throughout the entire document in one action. Most people use Replace All when they are confident the replacement is correct everywhere in the document.

If you are not sure whether the replacement should happen everywhere, click Find Next first. This highlights the first instance of your search text without changing it. You can then look at the context and decide whether to click Replace to change just that one, or click Find Next again to skip it and move to the next instance. This method takes longer but prevents accidental changes you might regret later.

Use Match Case to control uppercase and lowercase

By default, Word ignores whether letters are uppercase or lowercase when searching. If you search for "word", it will find "Word", "WORD", and "word" all the same. If you want to search for only the exact uppercase and lowercase pattern you typed, check the box labeled Match Case before you search.

This is useful when you need to replace a name or a term that should only appear in a specific case. For instance, if you want to replace "iPhone" but not "iphone" or "IPHONE", turn on Match Case first. Without it checked, your replacement would change all three versions to whatever you typed in the Replace With box.

Search whole words only to avoid partial matches

Word normally finds your search text even if it is part of a larger word. If you search for "cat", Word will find "cat", "cats", "category", and "concatenate". To find only the word "cat" by itself, check the box labeled Find whole words only before you search.

This prevents accidental replacements inside longer words. For example, if you want to replace "read" with "review" but you do not want to change "thread" to "threview", turn on Find whole words only. Now Word will only replace instances where "read" stands alone as its own word, not buried inside another word.

Save your document before using Replace All

Before you click Replace All, save your document by pressing Ctrl+S. This creates a backup version in case something goes wrong. If you make a mistake with Replace All, you can close the document without saving the changes and reopen the last saved version. If you have already saved after the replacement, pressing Ctrl+Z (undo) will reverse the changes, but only if you do it immediately after Replace All finishes.

Replace All works instantly on large documents, so it is easy to make a mistake and not notice until you have already saved. Taking thirty seconds to save first means you can always go back to the version before the replacement if you need to. This is especially important when you are replacing something you are not completely certain about.

Close the Find and Replace dialog when you are done

After you finish finding and replacing, close the dialog box by clicking the X button in the top right corner of the dialog, or press Escape on your keyboard. Word will return you to your document, and any replacements you made will remain in place. The Find and Replace dialog will remember what you typed in both boxes the next time you open it, so you do not have to retype the same search text if you need to use it again.

If you want to clear the search boxes and start fresh, you can manually delete the text in each box before closing the dialog. This prevents Word from suggesting old searches the next time you open Find and Replace.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo Replace All if I make a mistake?

Yes, if you press Ctrl+Z immediately after Replace All finishes, Word will undo all the replacements at once. However, if you close the document or perform other actions first, undo may not work. This is why saving your document before using Replace All is important — if undo does not work, you can close without saving and reopen the last saved version.

What if I want to replace text only in part of my document?

Select the portion of text you want to search before opening Find and Replace. Word will only search within your selection. If you do not select anything, Find and Replace searches the entire document by default.

Can I search for line breaks or paragraph marks?

Yes, but you need to use special codes. In the Find box, type ^p to represent a paragraph break or ^l (lowercase L) for a line break. You can then replace these with text or other paragraph marks. This is useful for removing extra blank lines or reformatting how paragraphs are separated.

Does Find and Replace work the same way in Word Online as in the desktop version?

Word Online has a simpler Find and Replace with fewer options. Press Ctrl+H to open it, but you will not see options like Match Case or Find whole words only. For full Find and Replace features, use the desktop version of Word on your computer.

What happens if Word cannot find any matches?

Word will display a message saying "Search key not found" or similar text. This means the exact text you typed does not appear anywhere in your document. Check your spelling, or try unchecking Match Case if you think the text might be in a different case than what you typed.

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.