Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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: Searching for Styles.

Searching for Styles

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated May 29, 2020)

If you use defined styles in your documents, Word has a very powerful search capability that allows you to find not just text, but defined styles as well. To search for defined styles, follow these steps:

Press Ctrl+F. Word displays the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. (If you are using Word 2010, Word 2013, or Word 2016, then you need display the Home tab of the ribbon, click the down-arrow at the right side of the Find tool, and then choose Advanced Find.) (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

Make sure the Find What box is empty.
Click on the More button if it is available.
Click on the No Formatting button, if it is enabled.
Click on the Format button and select Style. The Find Style dialog box appears. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. The Find Style dialog box.

Select the style for which you want to search.
Click on OK.
Click on Find Next.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11741) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Searching for Styles.

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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What is two less than 7?

2020-05-29 12:07:51

Beth Savage

Question: Every time I’m directed to the internet after clicking on the ‘Read the full tip’ link in the ‘WordTips Daily Nuggets’ email, the box to subscribe to either WordTips of ExcelTips pops up. Isn’t there a way to verify that someone accessing the tips is already on the free weekly newsletter subscription list so the box won’t pop up and need to be dealt with?

2019-11-28 08:14:19

Sajit Viswan

I have a 100+ page document with 3 Level numbered paragraph. It uses modified built in styles of Header 1, 2 and 3.
The font size used in this document for the Styles is not the same as what is intended.
I am trying to copy from a template file the Styles Header 1, 2 and 3. I thought that this would allow me to find an replace the styles used with the proper one from a template .docx file that I keep. Copying the styles from file A (template) to B (file that needs the correction) overwrites the Heading 1, 2 and 3. I tried to rename the styles in B. That does not work either. Is there a way? (see Figure 1 below)

Figure 1. Styles with some charaacters

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