Find & Replace Guide

What is Find & Replace?

Find & Replace is an advanced text manipulation tool with support for regular expressions, case-sensitive matching, replace preview, history, multi-document mode, and capture group substitution ($1, $2). Perfect for complex text transformations across single or multiple documents.

When to Use Find & Replace

Code Refactoring: Rename variables or functions across text
Data Cleaning: Replace incorrect values with correct ones
Content Updates: Update repeated text across documents
Format Conversion: Replace delimiters or separators
Pattern Matching: Use regex for advanced find/replace
Bulk Edits: Make consistent changes across large text

Key Features

✓ Replace Preview: See before/after changes with line-by-line comparison
✓ History: Save and reuse frequent find/replace patterns (up to 50)
✓ Multi-Document Mode: Work with multiple documents simultaneously
✓ Capture Groups: Use $1, $2, $3 for advanced regex replacements
✓ Regular Expressions: Full regex support with pattern matching
✓ Case Sensitivity: Toggle case-sensitive or case-insensitive matching
✓ Export Options: Download results as text files
✓ Access via dedicated page at find-replace

Practical Examples

1. Basic Text Replacement

Find:

TODO

Replace with:

DONE

Input:

TODO: Fix bug
TODO: Write tests
TODO: Update docs

Output:

DONE: Fix bug
DONE: Write tests
DONE: Update docs

2. Remove Extra Spaces with Regex

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

\s+

Replace with:

(single space)

Input:

Hello    world!   This  has   extra    spaces.

Output:

Hello world! This has extra spaces.

3. Format Phone Numbers with Capture Groups

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

(\d{3})-(\d{3})-(\d{4})

Replace with:

($1) $2-$3

Input:

Contact: 555-123-4567
Support: 555-987-6543

Output:

Contact: (555) 123-4567
Support: (555) 987-6543

💡 $1, $2, $3 reference the captured groups in parentheses

4. Case-Sensitive Replacement

Find (Enable "Case Sensitive"):

Apple

Replace with:

Orange

Input:

I like Apple products.
I eat an apple every day.
APPLE is a brand.

Output:

I like Orange products.
I eat an apple every day. ← (not replaced)
APPLE is a brand. ← (not replaced)

💡 Only exact case matches are replaced

5. Convert HTML Links to Markdown

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

<a href="([^"]+)">([^<]+)</a>

Replace with:

[$2]($1)

Input:

<a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a>

Output:

[Visit Example](https://example.com)

6. Remove Console.log Statements

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

console\.log$.*$;?

Replace with:

(leave empty)

Input:

function test() {
  console.log("debug");
  return true;
}

Output:

function test() {
  
  return true;
}

Try Find & Replace

Ready to use this advanced tool? Visit our dedicated find & replace page with preview, history, multi-document mode, and capture group support.

Full-Featured Tool

Dedicated Tool

Access the complete find & replace tool with replace preview, history, multi-document mode, and capture groups

Open Find & Replace Tool →

When to Use Find & Replace

Code Refactoring: Rename variables or functions across text

Data Cleaning: Replace incorrect values with correct ones

Content Updates: Update repeated text across documents

Format Conversion: Replace delimiters or separators

Pattern Matching: Use regex for advanced find/replace

Bulk Edits: Make consistent changes across large text

Key Features

✓ Replace Preview: See before/after changes with line-by-line comparison
✓ History: Save and reuse frequent find/replace patterns (up to 50)
✓ Multi-Document Mode: Work with multiple documents simultaneously
✓ Capture Groups: Use $1, $2, $3 for advanced regex replacements
✓ Regular Expressions: Full regex support with pattern matching
✓ Case Sensitivity: Toggle case-sensitive or case-insensitive matching
✓ Export Options: Download results as text files
✓ Access via dedicated page at find-replace

Practical Examples

1. Basic Text Replacement

Find:

TODO

Replace with:

DONE

Input:

TODO: Fix bug
TODO: Write tests
TODO: Update docs

Output:

DONE: Fix bug
DONE: Write tests
DONE: Update docs

2. Remove Extra Spaces with Regex

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

\s+

Replace with:

(single space)

Input:

Hello    world!   This  has   extra    spaces.

Output:

Hello world! This has extra spaces.

3. Format Phone Numbers with Capture Groups

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

(\d{3})-(\d{3})-(\d{4})

Replace with:

($1) $2-$3

Input:

Contact: 555-123-4567
Support: 555-987-6543

Output:

Contact: (555) 123-4567
Support: (555) 987-6543

💡 $1, $2, $3 reference the captured groups in parentheses

4. Case-Sensitive Replacement

Find (Enable "Case Sensitive"):

Apple

Replace with:

Orange

Input:

I like Apple products.
I eat an apple every day.
APPLE is a brand.

Output:

I like Orange products.
I eat an apple every day. ← (not replaced)
APPLE is a brand. ← (not replaced)

💡 Only exact case matches are replaced

5. Convert HTML Links to Markdown

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

<a href="([^"]+)">([^<]+)</a>

Replace with:

[$2]($1)

Input:

<a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a>

Output:

[Visit Example](https://example.com)

6. Remove Console.log Statements

Find (Enable "Use Regex"):

console\.log$.*$;?

Replace with:

(leave empty)

Input:

function test() {
  console.log("debug");
  return true;
}

Output:

function test() {
  
  return true;
}

Try Find & Replace

Ready to use this advanced tool? Visit our dedicated find & replace page with preview, history, multi-document mode, and capture group support.

Full-Featured Tool

Dedicated Tool

Access the complete find & replace tool with replace preview, history, multi-document mode, and capture groups

Open Find & Replace Tool →

What is Find & Replace?

When to Use Find & Replace

Key Features

Practical Examples

1. Basic Text Replacement

2. Remove Extra Spaces with Regex

3. Format Phone Numbers with Capture Groups

4. Case-Sensitive Replacement

5. Convert HTML Links to Markdown

6. Remove Console.log Statements

Try Find & Replace

Full-Featured Tool

Related Guides

Further Reading

bulk text transformation techniques →

Find & Replace Guide

What is Find & Replace?

When to Use Find & Replace

Key Features

Practical Examples

1. Basic Text Replacement

2. Remove Extra Spaces with Regex

3. Format Phone Numbers with Capture Groups

4. Case-Sensitive Replacement

5. Convert HTML Links to Markdown

6. Remove Console.log Statements

Try Find & Replace

Full-Featured Tool

Related Guides

Further Reading

bulk text transformation techniques →