Can I use colour with the 'Find and Replace' tool in Microsoft Word?

Q Is there a way to find and replace words in a document and, at the same time, change their colour or otherwise highlight them somehow when they're replaced?

I'd like, for instance, to search for all the instances of the word ‘King' and replace them with the same word coloured red.

Paul Daniels

A You don't tell us what word processor you're using but, on the assumption that it's Microsoft Word, then it is possible to do this.

In Word 2003, bring up the Find and Replace dialogue box by selecting Replace from the Edit menu. In Word 2007, click Replace in the Editing group on the Home tab of the Ribbon.

Alternatively, in either version use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl and H.

Type the relevant word in the ‘Find what' box and retype the same word in the ‘Replace with' box. Now, click the Format button (at the bottom) and choose Font.

In the Find Font dialogue box that appears, click the dropdown menu below the Font color heading and choose the desired hue. Click OK to return to the Find and Replace dialogue box.

Now proceed with the find-and-replace operation as normal. To replace and re-colour all matching words, click the Replace All button. For selective control, use the Find Next and Replace buttons instead. You can use this same trick to change any other kind of formatting or style.