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Quick Answer

Press Ctrl + H to open the Find and Replace dialog. Type the word you want to find in the top box, type the new word in the bottom box, and click Replace All to update the whole document.

How to Use Find and Replace in Office ​

Applies to: Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint — Desktop and Web)
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-03-09

Summary ​

Find and Replace lets you search for specific text, formatting, or values and replace them across an entire document or spreadsheet. This article covers the basics and advanced options in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Prerequisites ​

  • A Microsoft 365 application (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint).

Instructions ​

1. Open Find and Replace ​

The keyboard shortcut works across all Office apps.

  1. Press Ctrl+H to open the Find and Replace dialog.
    • Alternatively, press Ctrl+F for Find only, then click the Replace tab.
  2. In Word and PowerPoint, the dialog opens directly.
  3. In Excel, the dialog shows Find and Replace with two tabs: Find and Replace.

2. Find and Replace Text in Word ​

Search and replace text throughout your document.

  1. Press Ctrl+H.
  2. In Find what, type the text to search for.
  3. In Replace with, type the replacement text.
  4. Click Find Next to preview the first match.
  5. Click Replace to replace the current match, or Replace All to replace every occurrence.
  6. A dialog confirms how many replacements were made. Click OK.

Advanced options in Word:

  1. Click More >> to expand options.
  2. Enable Match case for case-sensitive searches.
  3. Enable Find whole words only to avoid partial matches.
  4. Use Format button to find/replace specific formatting (e.g., bold text, specific fonts).
  5. Use Special button to find paragraph marks, tabs, or line breaks.

3. Find and Replace in Excel ​

Search within a sheet or the entire workbook.

  1. Press Ctrl+H.
  2. In Find what, type the value or text to search for.
  3. In Replace with, type the replacement value.
  4. Click Options >> to expand search settings:
    • Within: choose Sheet or Workbook.
    • Search: choose By Rows or By Columns.
    • Look in: choose Formulas, Values, or Comments.
    • Match case and Match entire cell contents checkboxes.
  5. Click Replace All or Find Next > Replace for one at a time.

4. Find and Replace in PowerPoint ​

Search across all slides at once.

  1. Press Ctrl+H.
  2. In Find what, type the text to search for.
  3. In Replace with, type the replacement.
  4. Click Replace All to update every slide.
  5. PowerPoint searches text boxes, titles, and notes.

Troubleshooting ​

TIP

In Word, use Format > Style in the Find and Replace dialog to find text with a specific style (e.g., Heading 1) and replace it with another. This is powerful for reformatting documents.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
"0 replacements made" but text existsCase mismatch or extra spacesUncheck Match case and Match entire cell contents. Trim extra spaces from the Find field.
Replaces inside words unintentionallyWhole-word matching not enabledIn Word, click More >> and enable Find whole words only. In Excel, enable Match entire cell contents.
Previous formatting still appliedFormat criteria left in Find fieldClick No Formatting at the bottom of the Word Find and Replace dialog to clear format filters.