Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Using a Macro to Change the Formatting of All Instances of a Word.

Using a Macro to Change the Formatting of All Instances of a Word

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 24, 2025)

It is not uncommon to use repeating design elements in a document. For instance, you may want all occurrences of a particular word to appear in bold italics, at a certain point size. While you can certainly do the formatting by hand, it is much more efficient to allow a macro to do the work for you. By handling the formatting in this way, you don't need to worry about remembering how the word should appear. This macro, FormatWords, is an example of such a macro.

Sub FormatWords()
   Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
   Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting
   With Selection.Find
        .Text = "Warning!"
        .Replacement.Text = ""
        .Replacement.Font.Bold = True
        .Replacement.Font.Italic = True
        .Forward = True
        .Wrap = wdFindContinue
        .MatchWholeWord = True
   End With
   Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
End Sub

When you run this macro, it searches for all occurrences of the word Warning (followed by an exclamation point) and changes the formatting on it so the word is bold and italics.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9537) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Using a Macro to Change the Formatting of All Instances of a Word.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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