Swapping one string for another across a block of text is something every editor can do, but opening a full editor for a quick change on a pasted snippet is a nuisance. This tool takes your text, a search term and a replacement, and gives you the edited version with an exact count of how many matches were changed. That count is the useful part, because it tells you immediately whether the search hit what you expected.
Four switches cover the cases that trip people up. Match case makes the search exact. Whole word only stops a search for cat from touching category or concatenate. Regular expression mode unlocks patterns and capture groups, with any syntax error reported in plain language instead of failing silently. Replace all can be turned off when you only want the first occurrence changed.
How to use the Find and Replace Text
- Paste your text into the top box.
- Type what you want to find and what it should be replaced with. Leave the replace field empty to delete the matches.
- Set the options: match case, whole word only, regular expression, and replace all or first match only.
- Click Replace, check how many replacements were made, then copy the result.
Frequently asked questions
How do I delete text instead of replacing it?
Enter what you want to remove in the Find field and leave the Replace with field empty. Every match is deleted from the output. The replacement counter still reports how many were removed, so you can confirm the change worked as intended.
What does whole word only do?
It requires a word boundary on both sides of the match, so searching for art will change art but leave start, article and cart untouched. It works alongside regular expression mode by wrapping your pattern in boundary markers before the search runs.
Can I use capture groups in the replacement?
Yes, in regular expression mode. Use dollar sign one, dollar sign two and so on to insert what each group captured, and dollar sign ampersand for the whole match. Outside regular expression mode, dollar signs are treated as ordinary characters.
What happens if my regular expression is invalid?
The tool catches the error and shows the browser's own message below the output rather than breaking. Nothing is replaced until the pattern compiles. Patterns that can match an empty string are also blocked, since they would insert text at every position.