To find and replace in Word on a Mac, press Control + H, or choose Edit > Find > Replace from the menu bar. The Find and Replace pane opens on the left. Type the word you’re looking for in the search box, type the new word in Replace with, and click Replace All to change every match, or Replace to go one at a time. For options like matching case or whole words, use Edit > Find > Advanced Find and Replace.
Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions, the advanced options, how to replace formatting and special characters, and fixes when Replace doesn’t find anything.
How to find and replace text in Word for Mac
- Open your document.
- Press Control + H, or click Edit > Find > Replace. You can also click the magnifying glass in the search box at the top of the window and choose Replace.
- In the search box, type the text you want to find. Matches are highlighted in the document and listed in the pane.
- In Replace with, type the new text.
- Click Replace All to change every match, or click Replace to change them one by one.
To only search for text without replacing, press Command + F.
How to use Advanced Find and Replace
- Click Edit > Find > Advanced Find and Replace.
- Click the Replace tab.
- Click the arrow button in the lower-left corner to show more options.
- Choose options such as Match case, Find whole words only, or Use wildcards.
- Enter your text and click Replace All.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Match case | Finds “Apple” but not “apple” |
| Find whole words only | Finds “cat” but not “category” |
| Use wildcards | Lets you search with patterns, like ? for any single character |
| Sounds like / Find all word forms | Finds similar-sounding words, or forms like “run,” “ran,” and “running” |
| Search: All / Down / Up | Chooses how much of the document to search |
How to replace formatting
You can change formatting without changing the words, like turning all bold text into italics.
- Open Advanced Find and Replace and click the Replace tab.
- Click in Find what, leave it empty, then click Format > Font and choose Bold.
- Click in Replace with, leave it empty, then click Format > Font and choose Italic (and set Bold to Not Bold).
- Click Replace All.
How to replace special characters
In Advanced Find and Replace, click Special to insert codes for things like paragraph marks and tabs. Common codes:
- ^p is a paragraph mark. Replace ^p^p with ^p to remove extra blank lines.
- ^t is a tab.
- ^l is a manual line break.
- Replace two spaces with one space and click Replace All repeatedly to remove double spaces.
Why isn’t Replace working?
- Match case or whole words is on. Turn these off in Advanced Find and Replace if you aren’t finding matches you expect.
- Hidden formatting is set. If Format shows below Find what, click No Formatting to clear it.
- The text is in a text box, header, or footer. Choose All in the Search menu, and search those areas separately if needed.
- The document is protected or opened read-only. Enable editing or save a copy first.
- Track Changes is on. Replacements show as tracked edits. Accept them from the Review tab when you’re done.
Wildcards can also find abbreviations in Word.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the find and replace shortcut on Mac Word?
Control + H opens Replace in current versions of Word for Mac. Some versions also support Command + Shift + H. Command + F opens Find only.
Can I undo Replace All?
Yes. Press Command + Z right away to undo all the replacements at once.
Does this work in Word for the web on a Mac?
Yes. In Word for the web, click Home > Replace, or press Control + H.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.