Find and Replace – Search & Replace Text Online

Find and replace text in documents, code, or any content instantly. Our free tool supports plain text, regular expressions, case-sensitive matching, and bulk replacements with real-time preview.

What Is Find and Replace?

Find and replace (search and replace) locates specific text patterns and substitutes them with new text. It's essential for editing documents, refactoring code, cleaning data, and batch text transformations.

Features

How to Use This Tool

Step 1: Paste Your Text

Enter the text content you want to search within.

Step 2: Enter Find Pattern

Type the text or regex pattern to search for.

Step 3: Enter Replacement

Type what you want to replace matches with.

Step 4: Preview & Replace

See highlighted matches, then replace one or all.

Common Use Cases

Document Editing

• Fix typos — Replace misspelled words
• Update terminology — Change outdated terms
• Remove unwanted text — Delete specific phrases
• Format consistency — Standardize punctuation

Code Refactoring

• Rename variables — Update identifiers
• Change function names — Refactor throughout codebase
• Update imports — Modify package paths
• Fix patterns — Batch code corrections

Data Cleaning

• Format phone numbers — Standardize formats
• Clean CSV data — Remove unwanted characters
• Normalize dates — Convert date formats
• Remove duplicates — Find repeated entries

Content Management

• Update URLs — Change domain references
• Replace placeholders — Fill template variables
• Batch translations — Replace phrases
• SEO updates — Change keywords

Regular Expression Examples

Regex Replacement Patterns

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference with/without regex?

Plain text matches exactly what you type. Regex interprets special characters as patterns, enabling complex matching.

Is the search case sensitive by default?

You have the option to toggle case sensitivity. Default is typically case-insensitive for convenience.

Can I undo a replacement?

This tool shows a preview before applying changes. After copying the result, you can always paste your original content again.

How do I replace with nothing (delete)?

Leave the replacement field empty to delete all matches.

What special characters need escaping?

In regex mode, escape these: . * + ? ^ $ { } [ ] ( ) | \ / Example: To match file.txt, use file\.txt

Can I find across multiple lines?

Yes, with regex. Use [\s\S] or the s flag to match across newlines.

Tips for Effective Search & Replace

Plan Before Replacing

1. Search first without replacing
2. Review the match count
3. Check a sample of matches
4. Then execute replacement

Use Specific Patterns

• Too broad: Replacing "a" with "the" changes thousands of words
• Better: Replace " a " with " the " (with spaces)

Preserve Formatting

• Include surrounding context in your search
• Use word boundaries (\b) in regex

Test with Small Samples

• Try on a paragraph before full document
• Verify the replacement behaves as expected

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Pro Tips

1. Word boundaries — Use \b in regex to match whole words only
2. Preview first — Always review matches before replacing
3. Backup original — Keep a copy of unmodified text
4. Replace incrementally — Do one type of replacement at a time
5. Document changes — Note what you replaced for records

Keyboard Shortcuts

Most text editors use these shortcuts:

Related Tools

Explore more text utilities:

• Regex Tester — Test regex patterns
• Text Compare — Diff two texts
• Character Counter — Count text
• Line Counter — Count lines
• Remove Line Breaks — Clean text

Paste your text above and use find & replace to transform content instantly. Perfect for editing, coding, data cleaning, and batch text operations.