Protecting Document Areas from Global Replacements

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 25, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365

Fred often needs to use Find and Replace in editing his documents. However, there are certain areas of the documents in which he wants nothing changed. Short of changing those areas to images (which Fred is loath to do), he wonders if there is a way to lock or protect those areas so he can still use global replacing in the rest of the document.

The only way to do this is to place the information you don't want changed into its own section, and then protect that section. Specifically, place a continuous section break just before what you want to protect and then place one just after the information. Then, apply the protection as described in this tip:

https://tips.net/T7071

If your document includes multiple blocks of text that need to be protected, you'll need to mark each of those blocks with section breaks and apply the protection to each of them.

Once successfully completed, you can use Replace All in your document, and the info in protected sections will not be disturbed.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10271) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Creating a Command List

Want a list of all the commands available in Word? You can get one easily by following these steps.

Discover More

Recalculating when Filtering

Filter a large worksheet, and Excel will helpfully recalculate every time you apply a different filter. This can get ...

Discover More

Removing Breaks

Word allows you to add several types of "breaks" into your document. If you later want to remove any of them, you can use ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Replacing Hidden Text

Word allows you to format text so it can be easily hidden from view and from printing. If you want to convert the hidden ...

Discover More

Replacing and Renumbering

Word has a powerful find and replace capability that can help you perform quite a few changes to your documents. This tip ...

Discover More

Making Ctrl+F Work Traditionally

One change introduced in Word 2010 was the new navigation pane that is used for simple searching of information. This ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 9 + 8?

2022-06-25 06:57:11

Timothy Rylatt

"The only way to do this is to place the information you don't want changed into its own section, and then protect that section."

This is incorrect. The text can be placed inside a Rich Text Content Control with its properties set to disable editing and deletion.

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.