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: Repeating In a Macro.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 27, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
One of the most common things you need to do when creating a macro is to repeat a block of actions for each occurrence of something within a file. This may sound strange, but those who program know the situation very well—you need to search through a file and then take some action, repeat the search and repeat the action, and so on until the end of the file is reached. The general approach is as follows:
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:
Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
[set up for your search]
Selection.Find.Execute
While Selection.Find.Found
[take some action]
Selection.Find.Execute
Wend
The first line in this example moves to the beginning of the document. You then use whatever commands necessary to set up for your search. When the Selection.Find.Execute line is encountered, Word performs the actual search. Then Selection.Find.Found is used to control the While ... Wend loop. This property (Selection.Find.Found) is set to True each time an executed search actually results in something being found. Thus, the whole While ... Wend loop is repeated over and over again, as long as whatever you are searching for continues to be found. As the last step in the loop, the Selection.Find.Execute statement is used to once again perform the search.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13072) 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: Repeating In a Macro.
Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!
Load up documents created on older versions of Word, and you may find that you can't edit the macros you are used to ...
Discover MoreWant to turn off document repagination while your macro does its work? Here are two approaches you can use.
Discover MoreNeed to figure out a date a certain number of days, weeks, months, or years in the future? It's easy to do using the ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments