How to search for a word or phrase in Google Docs on your computer or mobile device

Steven John

Sep 23, 2019, 20:24 IST

How to search for a word or phrase in Google Docs on your computer or mobile device

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It's easy to search for a word in Google Docs on your phone or computer to find and replace any instance of it

You can search in Google Docs for a word or specific characters, and choose to find and replace the chosen text in the document.
You can also use keyboard shortcuts on a Mac or PC to search in Google Docs.
Here's how to search in Google Docs on your computer or mobile device.
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Google Docs are famously easy to use.

Designed much like a standard word processing software, they feature the same tools you would expect from the Microsoft Word program or Apple's Pages word processor, such as varied fonts, bolding, italics, control over indents, lists, bullet points, and so forth.

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And as you'd expect from any good Word processor, a Google Doc is also easy to search.

With a few clicks (or taps if you're on mobile) you can find any word or term in the document, and if you'd like, you can replace it in one or every instance in which it appears. Here's how.

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How to search in Google Docs on a computer

1. Open the Google Doc on your computer.

2. Click on the word "Edit" from the taskbar and then select "Find and replace."

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Select Find and replace in the menu.

3. Then, in the popup window, you can type in the word or words you wish to find, using the "Next" button as needed.

4. If you wish, type in a word or term to replace a selected instance and then hit "Replace," or you can "Replace All."

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You can replace typos throughout your Google Doc with find and replace.

On a Mac, the shortcut for find and replace is Command+Shift+H. On a PC, it is CTRL+H.

To find a term you are not planning to replace, run a simpler search, with Command+F on a Mac and CTRL+F on PCs.

How to search in Google Docs on an iPhone

1. Open the Google Doc via the mobile app.

2. Tap the three horizontal dots at the top right corner.

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Open the menu in the upper-right corner.

3. On the menu that pops out, tap "Find and replace."

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Select Find and replace.

4. Type the word(s) to be found into the text bar atop the screen, then hit "Search" at the bottom.

5. If you wish, enter a word or term to replace the selected copy, then hit "Replace" for a single substitution or "All" for swapping out every instance.