Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: Ignoring Accented Characters in Searches.
Sheila has many files of French names. Since use of accents varies on the names, she would like to be able to search for names without having to include the accents. She wonders if Word can perform "accent insensitive" searches.
The short answer is no, it cannot. The reason is simple: Word searches for characters, and all the accented characters are individual and distinct characters.
The workaround, of course, is to use ^? (any character) or ^$ (any letter) in the place where the various accented characters may appear in your names. If you choose to do wildcard searches, you can get even more specific in the accented characters you want to include or not include in your searching.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10627) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Ignoring Accented Characters in Searches.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
Need to replace a lot of the same characters very, very quickly? Here's a great way to do the replacement.
Discover MoreWord allows you to use a couple of different types of hyphens in your document, each with a different purpose. If you ...
Discover MoreNeed to get down to the "character level" when searching for information in a document. Word allows you to search for any ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2015-09-07 00:18:57
ACorfield
Quite elaborate search/reeplace can be done using regular-expression type searches.
Microsoft MVP Graham Mayor has a good and (possibly over-) detailed tutorial here http://www.gmayor.com/replace_using_wildcards.htm
Your usage with French will not need to be so elaborate with so few diacritics.
Happy hunting!
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: 
Comments