My clients frequently ask me to edit their formatting. Formatting can include anything from italics and fonts to heading styles. Locating format issues can be difficult with the naked eye, so today’s tutorial shows you two methods to find and replace formatting in Microsoft Word using the software’s built-in tools.
First, we’ll look at how to find and replace formatting applied anywhere in the document, Then, we’ll look at how to find and replace formatting applied to specific text. We’ll close with five tips that may make your next formatting session a little easier—because sometimes the process can get a little wonky!
The images below are from Word 2016. However, the steps are the same in Word 2019 and are similar for Word 2013 and Word 2010.
Find and Replace Microsoft Word Formatting Applied Anywhere in the Document
For this example, we’ll find all text formatted in italics and replace that text with regular font. Please modify these steps according to your own needs.
1. Select the Home tab to display the Home toolbar.
2. Select Replace to display the Find and Replace dialog box.
3. Insert your cursor into the Find What text box.
4. Select More.
5. Select Format and then select Font.
6. Select Italic in the Find Font dialog box and then select OK. The words Font: Italic should appear under the Find What text box.
7. Insert your cursor into the Replace With text box.
8. Select Format and then select Style.
9. Select Regular in the Replace Font dialog box and then select OK. The words Font: Not Bold, Not Italic should appear under the Replace With text box.
10. Select Replace All to make all the replacements at once. Or, use Find Next and Replace to make one replacement at a time.
11. Select Close to close the Find and Replace dialog box.
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Find and Replace Microsoft Word Formatting Applied to Specific Text
For this example, we’ll find specific text with the Heading 2 style and replace that text with the Heading 3 style. Please modify these steps according to your own needs. (This example only includes graphics for steps that substantially differ from the steps shown in the previous example.)
1. Select the Home tab to display the Home toolbar.
2. Select Replace to display the Find and Replace dialog box.
3. Type the text you want to find into the Find What text box.
4. Select More.
5. Select Format and then select Style.
6. Select Heading 2 in the Find Style dialog box and then select OK. The words Style: Heading 2 should appear under the Find What text box.
7. Type the same text (or different text if desired) into the Replace With text box.
8. Select Format and then select Style.
9. Select Heading 3 in the Replace Style dialog box and then select OK. The words Style: Heading 3 should appear under the Replace With text box.
10. Select Replace All to make all the replacements at once. Or, use Find Next and Replace to make one replacement at a time.
11. Select Close to close the Find and Replace dialog box.
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Tips for Format Editing in Microsoft Word
Format editing can be messy. Here are five “Believe me because I learned the hard way” tips to consider before your next formatting session.
Tip 1: Explore the Find and Replace tool.
Word’s Find and Replace tool has a lot of helpful options—many more than can be covered in a blog tutorial—so take some time to explore the Find and Replace dialog box to see if it can help you automate any of the replacement tasks that you would normally do manually.
Tip 2: Use the No Formatting button to clear formatting.
When you add formatting to the Find and Replace dialog box, Word will normally keep that selection in the dialog box until you close the software. If you want to clear previously selected formatting from the Find and Replace dialog box before closing the software, place your cursor in the affected text box (Find What or Replace With) and then select No Formatting.
Tip 3: Experiment with multiple replacement sequences.
Occasionally, the formatting options entered into the Replace With text box don’t replace the options in the Find What text box; instead, they are added to the options in the Find What text box. When this occurs, experiment with multiple replacement sequences to reach the formatting your need.
For example, if you put the bold format into the Find What text box and put the italic format into the Replace With text box, Word won’t replace the bold text with italic text as you might expect. Instead, it will add italics to the bold words! But you can still remove the bold format if you do a second replacement sequence, this time replacing the bold format with the Not Bold format option. (See my YouTube tutorial at 4:37 for a full demonstration.)
Tip 4: Perform a test run.
Word’s Find and Replace methods can get a bit complex, and this complexity can sometimes create unexpected results (as mentioned in Tip 3 above). So, always do a test run on a secondary copy of your document when performing a replacement procedure that you haven’t done before.
Tip 5: Talk to the writer before editing formatting.
When you’re editing someone else’s writing—whether a client’s, coworker’s, or fellow student’s—always ask how much format editing you should do. Some writers want you to edit as many formatting issues as possible, while others want you to concentrate solely on the writing—and may become grumpy if you unexpectedly change their bold text to italics. In addition, you don’t want to accidentally step on the toes of any typesetters or other formatters involved in the project.
Visit my YouTube channel for more tutorials on Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word!
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