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How to Find a Word in Word
Use the word processor's search function to locate text and more
By James Marshall James Marshall Writer James Marshall is a pro journalist who covers technology and computer troubleshooting. He is also skilled with Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, and other word processors. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 15, 2020 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Word Excel Powerpoint Outlook What to Know
Basic word search: Go to the Home tab. Select Find and enter the text for the search.Advanced search: Go to Home > Find. Choose the search drop-down arrow. Select Options and select your criteria. This article explains how to search for text in Microsoft Word. The information applies to Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, Word Online, and Word for Microsoft 365. How to Do a Basic Word Search in MS Word
Microsoft Word includes a search function that makes it easy to search for different elements in a document, including text. Use the basic tool to look for instances of a specific word, or the advanced options to perform tasks such as replace all instances of a word with another one or search for equations. To run a basic search for a specific word or phrase in Word: Go to the Home tab and select Find, or press Ctrl+F. In older versions of Microsoft Word, select File > File Search. In the Navigation pane, enter the text you want to search for. A list of matching words displays in the Navigation pane and instances of the word are highlighted in the main document. Cycle through the results in the Navigation pane in one of three ways: Press Enter to move to the next result. Select a result with the mouse. Select the Up and Down arrows to move to the previous or next result. Make any changes or edits to the document as needed. Select the Down arrow to move to the next instance of the word. Match Case Whole Words Only and More
Beyond searching for every instance of a word, you can get more specific about what you want to find. For example, to find whole instances of a word and not every word that contains the letter combination or to find instances of a word that aren't capitalized. Here's how to do an advanced search: Select Home > Find. In the Navigation pane, select the Search drop-down arrow. Choose Options. In the Find Options dialog box, choose the description that best fits what you're trying to find. For example, to find instances of a word with the same capitalization, select Match case. Select OK. Use Advanced Find
Many of the choices available in the Find Options dialog box are also available in Advanced Find. Advanced Find includes the option to replace the text with something new. Based on your selection, Word replaces one instance or all instances at once. You can also replace the formatting, or change the language, paragraph, and tab settings. Find Instances of Other Elements
Other options in the Navigation pane include searching for equations, tables, graphics, footnotes, endnotes, and comments. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Search in Google Sheets How to Search Twitter Images How to Control F on iPad How to Search Your Own Tweets in Your Twitter Feed How to Search a PDF How to Add Line Numbers to a MS Word Document How to Use Microsoft Word How to Make a Brochure in Microsoft Word How to Remove a Page Break in Word Can You Find and Replace Words in Google Docs? How to Delete a Blank Page in Word How to Indent in Word and Use Tabs and Rulers How to Control F On a Mac Display Word Count in Microsoft Word 2013 How to Insert a Document in Word How to Search a Specific Subreddit Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies