Searching for Tabs

Summary: Tabs don't normally show up in your printed document, but Word allows you to still search for them. All you need to do is use the special code (^t) recognized by Word as a tab character. This tip explains how to utilize that code when searching. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, and Word 2003.)

Word allows you to search not just for text, but also for special characters which normally do not print. If you are working with documents that use tabular material, you will find yourself searching for tab characters quite a bit. To search for tabs, follow these steps:

Choose Find from the Edit menu. Word displays the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
In the Find What box, enter the text for which you want to search. To search for a tab character, enter ^t (it is important to use a lowercase t).
Set other searching parameters, as desired.
Click on Find Next.

Tip #1077 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003

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Searching for Tabs