In Part 1 we looked at refining search results when seeking out specific content within your Word document and, in Part 2, the best ways of sifting through those results using the Navigation pane tabs (Headings | Pages | Results). Now let’s look at Advanced Find (Word’s legacy Find).
Advanced Find enables even greater refinement options for searches than can be done via the Navigation pane. It’s great for refining a search to a particular Format (e.g. a Style) or to Special items (e.g. a Paragraph Mark). I often use Advanced Find to refine my searches by Highlight.
You can access the Advanced Find dialogue box via any of the following options:
- Navigation pane (Ctrl+F): click the dropdown arrow (located on the right hand side of the search bar);
- Ribbon: click the dropdown arrow of the Find button (Home > Editing);
- Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+H, followed by Ctrl+Page Up to get to the Find tab; or Ctrl+F (for Word 2007).
You’ll notice the Advanced Find dialogue box contains the same refinement Search Options as those found via the Navigation pane (see Part 1). Further refinement options are found within the Format and Special dropdown menus.
Here’s an example of how to use Advanced Find, in this case searching for content that has a Highlight applied:
- If looking for specific text, enter it within the Find what search box, otherwise leave this blank;
- Click More, and then Format;
- Select Highlight – the setting will be displayed below the search box;
- Click Find Next to navigate through each of the matches for your search.
A word of warning, be sure to click the No Formatting button once you’ve completed your search to ensure that future searches aren’t limited by your current search settings.
So that concludes our three part series on more efficient ways to search for content within your Word documents. I hope it’s provided you with some useful tools when you’re next searching for content. Happy searching!