
Now Excel will check for cells containing only the number 2, so we can safely click Replace without affecting our chickens. Click Options, then check the Match entire cell contents checkbox. Let’s say we want to leave our chickens alone, but still fix our cow miscount. In the image below, Excel will change both instances of the number 2 to a 3, leaving us not only with three cows but also thirteen chickens. It’s easy to unintentionally make unwanted changes, especially when using Replace All. You can also make replacements, but keep a close eye on your search criteria. Clicking Find All will generate a detailed list of matching cells right in the Find and Replace window. Type what you’re looking for in the Find what field, click Find Next, and Excel will highlight the cells that match. The Ctrl + H keyboard shortcut also works here.Įxcel’s Find and Replace works similarly to Microsoft Word. Within an Excel spreadsheet, click Find & Select, and then choose either Find or Replace from the drop-down list that appears. In the below example, Word will change the “lazy” dog to a “sleepy” one.Ĭlicking More will yield a ton of options to customize your search, but let’s run through the basics for Excel first. Check the text you’re replacing one by one with the Replace button, or do the whole document at once with Replace All.

The Replace tab adds the ability to replace the text you’ve searched for with new text that you type into the Replace with field. Click Find Next to scroll through all your matches.

At this point, since you haven’t specified any options, your search will turn up any text that matches, whether it’s in uppercase or lowercase, or perhaps a portion of a word.Ĭlicking the Reading Highlight button will highlight all instances in yellow, which lets you see, at a glance, all the places your searched term appears within your document. Type the text you’re searching for in the Find what field, and Word will pull up any instances that match. If you’re just looking, and don’t need the program to replace any text for you, it’s fine to stay on the Find tab. You’ll see both the Find and Replace tabs in the window that appears (as well as the Go To tab, where you can specify a precise spot in your document to jump to). You can also use the Ctrl + H keyboard shortcut to open the Replace window directly. Then, click the arrow next to the Find button and select Advanced Find.Īlternately, just click Replace. You can access Find and Replace by opening a Word file and heading to the Home tab on the ribbon.

Let’s get you comfortable choosing Option C with these tips to conquer Microsoft Office’s Find and Replace feature. And Office’s Find and Replace options can get really specific, allowing you to use wildcards and even find words that sound like each other.

#MICROSOFT WORD FIND AND REPLACE SOFTWARE#
A) Read through the whole thing, swapping each erroneous E for an Aī) Just leave it and hope nobody notices,Ĭ) Use Microsoft Office’s Find and Replace function to turn every Berenstein into a Berenstain all at once?Īrguably one of the biggest advantages of word processing and spreadsheet software is the power to instantly locate and edit text and data without manually combing through printed pages or ledgers.
