Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Searching for Multi-Byte Hex Codes.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 19, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Marc has a need to search for two-byte (Unicode) hex codes in a document. He knows how to search for ASCII and ANSI codes using decimal values, but he is wondering how he can search for a Unicode character that occupies two bytes when he only knows the hex values for the bytes.
There are a couple of ways you can go about this. First, you can search for Unicode values by prefacing the values with ^u. So, for instance, if you wanted to search for the character that has the value 00D0, you would convert the hex values to decimal and then search for ^u0208. (You can convert between hex and decimal by using a scientific calculator or by using a conversion tool easily found on the web.)
An easier way to do the searching, however, is to remember a shortcut key: Alt+X. In the Find What box (when searching) all you need to do is type the hex code and then immediately press Alt+X. When you do, Word converts the code into the appropriate character and you can search like normal. In reality, the Alt+X shortcut can be used to easily switch between a character and its hex code.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9165) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Searching for Multi-Byte Hex Codes.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
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