# Find / Replace
This tool can find or replace any text of the genealogy content.
[](https://docs.ancestris.org/uploads/images/gallery/2020-09/en-find-replace.png)
## Description
In the first two drop-down menus of this Find/Replace window, you indicate the text to search for, and the text by which to replace it.
Previous searches are stored in these drop-down menus.
The two check boxes on the right can be used to limit the search: **match upper and lower case** letters exactly, and search only for **whole words**.
You can also provide [entity](https://docs.ancestris.org/books/user-guide/page/entities "Entities") and [property](https://docs.ancestris.org/books/user-guide/page/properties "Properties") filters using the two large buttons described below. This makes it possible to limit the search and replacement to only the entities and properties checked in the two lists that appear.
The number in parenthesis indicates the number of corresponding elements in the genealogy.
| [](https://docs.ancestris.org/uploads/images/gallery/2020-09/en-find-replace-entities.png) | [](https://docs.ancestris.org/uploads/images/gallery/2020-09/en-find-replace-properties.png) |
| Filter on entities | Filter on properties |
The **Limit to main selection** check box is used to limit the search to the entities resulting from the Advanced search view. See the [Advanced Search](https://docs.ancestris.org/books/user-guide/page/advanced-search-%28l%29 "Advanced search") page for more details.
The search results are then displayed one by one and you can browse them all with the **Next** and **Previous** buttons.
The **Replace** button replaces the text one at a time, while the **Replace All** button replaces all matches in one go.
The window displayed at the start of this page is the one corresponding to the Find and Replace function. The **Find function** does not include the additional line and two buttons which are used in the **Replace Function**.
## Usage
The main need covered by this tool is to modify data in your genealogy *globally*, and *in one go*.
The search function searches for a text in the active Gedcom file. This result may be sufficient if you do not want to modify your data. You can access the **Find function** alone via the [Edit menu](https://docs.ancestris.org/books/user-guide/page/edit-menu "Edit Menu") or the Ctrl + F shortcut.
Note that Ancestris also offers two other complementary research tools:
(1) [General search](https://docs.ancestris.org/books/user-guide/page/search-bar "Search Bar") which scans all open Gedcom files and the application.
(2) [Advanced search](https://docs.ancestris.org/books/user-guide/page/advanced-search-%28l%29 "Advanced search") which is a multi-criteria search within the active genealogy.
If you want to globally change one word to another, or change a date, a place name, or whatever else, the Find and Replace tool is very useful. You can access it via the [Edit menu](https://docs.ancestris.org/books/user-guide/page/edit-menu "Edit Menu") or via the shortcut Ctrl + R.
Fill in your text to replace, the text you want to replace it with and the results should already appear.
You can then refine your search using the criteria or filters described above.
As soon as you check a filter, it takes a little time to refresh the results.
If no results appear, check the filters, they are stored from one search to the next.
You can then perform the replacements one by one by scrolling through the data found.
## Customization
The customization that exists concerning this tool is the possibility of memorizing the search criteria and the filters from one time to the next.