Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 15, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365
Kitty has been editing books using Word for nearly 30 years, and she is beginning to feel some pain in her left forearm from all the Shift+F4 usage. Kitty would like to make a Quick Access Toolbar button to repeat a search, so she can spare her left arm and keep her right hand on the mouse. She is not seeing a way to do this, though, so wonders if there is any way she can accomplish the task.
Yes, there is a way to do this, using Word's built-in tools. Here's how you can add the proper tool to the Quick Access Toolbar:
Figure 1. The Quick Access Toolbar area of the Word Options dialog box.
The Find Next tool should now appear in the Quick Access Toolbar. You can do a search, as normal, and then when you want to repeat the search, you just click the Find Next tool.
If you prefer a macro-based approach, you can always create a very short macro and add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. Here's one that will work:
Sub RepeatFind() Selection.Find.Execute End Sub
Told you it was short! It functions the same as the Find Next tool previously discussed.
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 (13597) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365.
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