How to find and replace in Google Docs

Learn how to find and replace text in Google Docs: open the Edit menu, enter the find and replacement text, and replace every match at once.

Quick answer

Open the Edit menu in Google Docs and choose Find and replace. Type the text you want to change in the Find box and the new text in the Replace with box. Click Replace all, and every match in the document changes at once, so you skip editing each line by hand.

Steps at a glance

  1. Open the Edit menu.
  2. Choose Find and replace.
  3. Type the text to find in the Find box.
  4. Type the new text in the Replace with box.
  5. Click Replace all.
  6. Check the replaced text in the document.

Interactive demo

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Summary

Find and replace lets you change every instance of a word or phrase in a Google Doc in one action. It saves time when a name, product, or term changes across a whole document.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Step 1

    Open the Edit menu

    In your document, click **Edit** in the menu bar. The menu lists the editing commands for the document.

  2. Step 2

    Choose Find and replace

    Click **Find and replace** in the Edit menu. The menu shows the shortcut ⌘+Shift+H next to it, so you can open the same dialog from the keyboard.

  3. Step 3

    Type the text to find

    In the **Find** box, type the text you want to change. This example uses Acme Beta. The dialog shows a match count, here 1 of 3, and highlights the first match in the document.

  4. Step 4

    Type the replacement text

    Click the **Replace with** box and type the new text. This example uses Acme Pro.

  5. Step 5

    Click Replace all

    Click **Replace all** to change every match at once. The dialog also has a Replace button, which changes one match at a time.

  6. Step 6

    Check the replaced text

    Close the dialog and read the document. Each line that said Acme Beta now says Acme Pro.

Why this matters

You wrote a brief that names a product three times, and the name just changed. Find and replace updates every mention in seconds, so you avoid hunting through the document and leaving an old name behind in a line you missed.

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I replace just one match?

    Yes. The dialog has Replace, Previous, and Next buttons, so you can step through matches and replace them one at a time.

  • Does the dialog have extra options?

    Yes. It shows checkboxes for Match case and Use regular expressions, plus Ignore diacritics.

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