Word.Tips.Net Welcome toWord.Tips.Net

Helpful Links

Tips.Net Home
WordTips Home

Ask a Word Question
Make a Comment

Tips.Net Store

WordTips FAQ
WordTips Premium

Learn Access Now
Free Printable Forms

Beauty Tips
Car Tips
Cleaning Tips
College Tips
Cooking Tips
Excel2007 Tips
ExcelTips
Family Tips
Gardening Tips
Health Tips
Home Tips
Legal Tips
Money Tips
Organizing Tips
Pest Tips
Pet Tips
Wedding Tips
Word2007 Tips
WordTips

Advertise on the
WordTips Site

Newest Tips

Arranging Document Windows

Specifying a Backup Location

Controlling Chart Gridlines

Merging Table Cells

Collapsing and Expanding Subdocuments

Zooming With the Keyboard

Initiating a New Search

 

Searching for Text that Does Not Have a Certain Format

Summary: You can easily use Find and Replace to find text that has a particular format to it. Most people don't know you can use the same tool to find text that does not have a particular format. Here's how to do this type of search. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

Word has a very powerful search capability that allows you to find not just text, but the formats of text as well. Many Word users already know how to search for character formats, but you may not know that you can also search for characters that do not have a certain formatting property. To search for characters lacking a certain format, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Find from the Edit menu, or press Ctrl+F. (In Word 2007 you display the Home tab of the ribbon and click on Find in the Editing group, or you simply press Ctrl+F.) Word displays the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
  2. Click on the More button if it is available.
  3. Delete anything in the Find What box and click on the No Formatting button if it is available.
  4. Click on the Format button, then choose Font. Word displays the Find Font dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.) Notice that all the character attributes (Superscript, Subscript, and so on) in the Effects area are shaded. This means these attributes do not matter; they are ignored by Word when searching.
  5. Select the character attributes you don't want the matched text to have. Make sure the check box beside the attribute is cleared.
  6. Click on OK.
  7. Click on Find Next.

Tip #1793 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

Take Control! Master the real power behind Word! Successfully master the secrets of powerful formatting and create documents that stand out from the rest. Best of all, you can create documents that are easy to maintain and quick to change.
 
Check out Word 2007 Styles and Templates today!