An online find and replace tool lets you search for specific words or phrases in a block of text and substitute them with something else - all at once, instantly, without opening a code editor or word processor. It is the fastest way to make bulk text substitutions when working with plain text outside of any specific application.
What is Find and Replace?
Find and replace is a fundamental text editing operation that searches through a text string for all occurrences of a target pattern and replaces each one with a specified replacement string. The operation can be:
- Case-sensitive - "Apple" and "apple" are treated as different matches.
- Case-insensitive - "Apple," "APPLE," and "apple" all match the same search term.
- Whole word - matches only if the target is a standalone word, not embedded in another word.
- Regex-based - uses regular expression patterns for advanced matching (e.g., replacing all email addresses or phone numbers).
How to Use the Find and Replace Tool
- Paste your text - enter the source text in the main text area.
- Enter the search term - type the word or phrase you want to find in the "Find" field.
- Enter the replacement - type the replacement text in the "Replace" field. Leave it empty to delete all occurrences.
- Apply - click the Replace button. The result is shown immediately, along with the number of replacements made.
Common Use Cases
- Replacing a product name, company name, or URL across a long document
- Removing unwanted words or phrases from a bulk export of text
- Replacing placeholder tokens like
{{name}}or[INSERT DATE]with real values - Correcting a consistent spelling mistake across an article before publishing
- Normalizing inconsistent terminology (e.g., replacing all instances of "e-mail" with "email")
- Swapping formatting characters or removing HTML tags from plain text pastes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I replace all occurrences at once? Yes. The tool replaces every occurrence of the search term in the entire text simultaneously.
Does it support case-insensitive matching? Yes. Toggle the case-sensitive option to control whether the search distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Can I use regex patterns for advanced replacements? This depends on the tool's implementation. Basic text replacement handles literal strings. If you need regex support (e.g., replacing all numbers, or patterns like dates), a code editor's find-and-replace is more appropriate.
Can I undo the replacement if I make a mistake? The original text remains in the input area. If you need to revert, the source text you pasted is preserved and you can restart the replacement with different parameters.
Use the Find and Replace tool free, no sign-up required.