macOS Tip: Find and replace text in Word and Pages

Many of you probably know that you can start a full-text search on the Apple Mac, iMac and MacBook in certain apps with the command key and F (⌘+F) as a key combination. But how can you replace the found text with another? I'll show you in this guide for the programs Microsoft Word and Apple Pages on. You can exchange individual words as well as groups of words, sentences and punctuation marks. If you've made the same mistake over and over again, you don't have to fix it individually, you can do it Find and replace text in a few taps use.

You made the same mistake in several places in your text document and now want to correct it everywhere at the same time? That's good, because here you will learn how to search and replace text in Word and Pages on the Mac.
You made the same mistake in several places in your text document and now want to correct it everywhere at the same time? That's good, because here you will learn how to search and replace text in Word and Pages on the Mac.

Find and replace text in Microsoft Word

If you use the Microsoft word processor Word under macOS, you can search and replace words, phrases, etc. with just a few clicks and inputs. Here is the step-by-step guide that will get you there safely:

  1. Click in the top right corner of the app window on the magnifying glass left of the "Find in document" input field
  2. Now click in the selection that appears Substitute…-Option
  3. A search mask opens on the left in the app window, in which you note the incorrect entry in the upper input field
  4. In the lower input field, write down what you want to replace the upper input with
  5. To replace the single selected case, click "Replace"; if you want to correct all errors directly, click on "Replace all"

Further down in this article you will find illustrated instructions with screenshots in addition to these five points. In it, I'll show you how you can easily replace punctuation marks and words - several at once to save a lot of time.

Find and replace text in Apple Pages

If you use the Apple word processor Pages under macOS on the Mac, you can also search, find and replace words, characters, groups of words, phrases and more there. You can carry out the search as the first step in various ways. Via the magnifying glass in the toolbar (if placed there), via the key combination cmd + F or ⌘+F or via Edit -> Search -> Search…. Once you have found your favourite, proceed as follows:

  1. Opens the "Find & Replace"input screen in one of the ways shown
  2. give in upper text box the characters to search for
  3. give in bottom text box enter the characters to be used for this
  4. Now vote for him single swap "Replace" or the full correction "Replace Everything"
  5. Closes to finish the little window

I have also reproduced these briefly outlined measures for the quick correction of repeated errors in text files using screenshots. You can find the screenshot instructions for finding and replacing text in Apple Pages at the bottom of this post.

Screenshot guide: Fix repeated errors in Word

The above list shows the procedure in theory. In order to make the whole thing a bit clearer, I have also made a few screenshots of the individual steps for you. In the following I will convert the dot from several decimal values ​​into a comma in a Word document and replace a multiple misspelled word with the correct spelling:

Oh no, so many errors in Word! Search and replace everything quickly! To do this, click on the magnifying glass to the left of the search text field and then on Replace...
Oh no, so many errors in Word! Search and replace everything quickly! To do this, click on the magnifying glass to the left of the search text field and then on Replace...
An input mask then appears on the left in the app window for the entries to be searched for and the new entries with which the faulty ones are to be replaced. Here you can edit individual search results or quickly correct all of them.
An input mask then appears on the left in the app window for the entries to be searched for and the new entries with which the faulty ones are to be replaced. Here you can edit individual search results or quickly correct all of them.
A small window will appear to confirm the process. OK!
A small window will appear to confirm the process. OK!

Screenshot guide: Fix repeated errors in Pages

After the theory in the steps listed above, the practice follows here as well. I simulated the same errors as Word: decimal values ​​with periods instead of commas and the word “decimal value” with a lower case letter. Instead of replacing the dot and the small d individually in all ten lines, you can use the Apple Pages "Find & Replace" window:

In Apple Pages you can also quickly and easily fix repeated errors - "Find & Replace" is the name of the standard search mask in which you enter the error and the correct entry.
In Apple Pages, you can also quickly and easily fix repeated errors - "Find & Replace" is the name of the standard search mask in which you enter the error and the correct entry.
Here, too, you have the choice between replacing incorrect entries individually or completely replacing the characters you are looking for with new ones.
Here, too, you have the choice between replacing incorrect entries individually or completely replacing the characters you are looking for with new ones.
As in Word, I was able to quickly and easily correct all ten lines in Pages – without having to manually intervene in the document.
As in Word, I was able to quickly and easily correct all ten lines in Pages – without having to manually intervene in the document.

Sources: 1, 2

Did you like the article and did the instructions on the blog help you? Then I would be happy if you the blog via a Steady Membership would support.

The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de

Post a comment

Your e-mail address will not be published. Required fields are marked with * marked

In the Sir Apfelot Blog you will find advice, instructions and reviews on Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini and Mac Studio.