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How to search and replace across multiple files in Word?

Author: Amanda Li Last Modified: 2025-04-14

If you have dozens of Word files containing the same content (like headers, footers, or specific text), and you need to replace this content across all documents, doing it manually can be tedious. This tutorial introduces two methods to quickly replace the same or different content across multiple Word documents at once.

Find and replace texts across multiple Word documents at the same time with VBA code
Easily find and replace different texts across multiple documents at the same time with Kutools for Word

Find and replace texts across multiple Word documents at the same time with VBA code

This method shows how to use VBA code to search for and replace content across multiple documents simultaneously.

  1. Press Alt + F11 to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
  2. Click "Insert" > "Module", then paste the following code: 
    Sub CommandButton1_Click()
'Updated by Extendoffice 20180625
Dim xFileDialog As FileDialog, GetStr(1 To 100) As String
Dim xFindStr As String
Dim xReplaceStr As String
Dim xDoc As Document
On Error Resume Next
Set xFileDialog = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFilePicker)
With xFileDialog
    .Filters.Clear
    .Filters.Add "All WORD File ", "*.docx", 1
    .AllowMultiSelect = True
    i = 1
    If .Show = -1 Then
        For Each stiSelectedItem In .SelectedItems
            GetStr(i) = stiSelectedItem
            i = i + 1
        Next
        i = i - 1
    End If
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    xFindStr = InputBox("Find what:", "Kutools for Word", xFindStr)
    xReplaceStr = InputBox("Replace with:", "Kutools for Word", xReplaceStr)
    For j = 1 To i Step 1
        Set xDoc = Documents.Open(FileName:=GetStr(j), Visible:=True)
        Windows(GetStr(j)).Activate
        Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
        Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting
        With Selection.Find
            .Text = xFindStr
            .Replacement.Text = xReplaceStr
            .Forward = True
            .Wrap = wdFindAsk
            .Format = False
            .MatchCase = False
            .MatchWholeWord = False
            .MatchByte = True
            .MatchWildcards = False
            .MatchSoundsLike = False
            .MatchAllWordForms = False
        End With
        Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
        ActiveDocument.Save
        ActiveWindow.Close
    Next
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End With
MsgBox "Operation end, please view", vbInformation
End Sub
  3. Press F5 to run the code.
  4. In the Browse window, select the documents you want to process, then click "OK".
    Browse window
  5. In the "Find what" input box, enter the word or phrase to find and click "OK".
    Find what box
  6. In the "Replace with" input box, enter the replacement text and click "OK".
    Replace with box
  7. Click "OK" in the final Microsoft Word dialog box.
    Confirmation dialog

All instances of the specified text in the selected Word files will be replaced at once.

Easily find and replace different texts across multiple documents at the same time with Kutools for Word

The "Batch Find and Replace" feature in Kutools for Word lets you search and replace multiple text items across several Word documents at once.

Kutools for Word, equipped with AI 🤖, offers over 100 handy features to simplify your tasks.
  1. Click "Kutools" > "Batch Replacement".
    Batch Replacement button
  2. In the Batch Find and Replace dialog, configure the settings:
    1. Click the "Add Row" button.
    2. In the new row:
      1. Enter the text to find under "Find".
      2. Enter the replacement text under "Replace".
      3. Optionally, specify a search type, location where to find and replace, highlight color, and other options as needed in the respective columns.
    3. Click the Add button button in the "File Type" section to add Word files to the batch.
    4. Click "Replace" or "Find".
      Tip: Repeat steps 1) and 2) to add more find-and-replace rules.
      Batch Find and Replace configuration
  3. Close the Batch Find and Replace dialog when done.

Notes:

  • If you click "Find", the matches will appear under the "Preview Result" tab. To apply replacements afterward, switch back to the "Find and Replace" tab.
  • If you click "Replace", all matches are immediately replaced and shown under "Preview Result".
  • If highlight colors were specified, the replacements in your Word documents will be color-coded accordingly.

For more information about the "Batch Find and Replace" feature, view the tutorial page.

Kutools for Word is the ultimate Word add-in that streamlines your work and boosts your document processing skills. Get It Now!

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