PowerPoint 2019 (Part 9): Using Find & Replace

When working on long presentations, it can be difficult and time-consuming to find a specific word or phrase. PowerPoint can automatically search your presentation using its Find feature , and it allows you to quickly change words or phrases using its Replace feature .

 

How to find text in PowerPoint

1. From the Home tab , click the Find command.

2. A dialog box will appear. Enter the text you want to search for in the " Find what:" field , then click "Find Next".

3. If the text is found, it will be selected.

 

You can also access the Find command by pressing Ctrl + F on your keyboard.

How to replace text in PowerPoint

You might find that you've been making mistakes repeatedly throughout your presentation—such as misspelling someone's name—or you need to change a specific word or phrase to something else. You can use the Replace feature to make quick revisions.

1. From the Home tab , click the Replace command.

2. A dialog box will appear. Enter the text you want to search for in the " Find what:" field.

3. Enter the text you want to replace in the " Replace with:" field , then click "Find Next".

4. If the text is found, it will be selected. Review the text to ensure you want to replace it.

5. If you want to replace text, select one of the replacement options. The Replace option will replace individual instances, and Replace All will replace all instances. The example will use the Replace option.

 

6. The selected text will be replaced.

7. PowerPoint will move to the next section in the presentation. When you have finished replacing the text, click Close to exit the dialog box.

When using Replace All , it's important to remember that it may find matching results that you didn't anticipate and may not actually want changed. Only use this option if you are absolutely certain that it won't replace anything you didn't intend to change.