Use regular expressions to search in Google Docs
September 27th, 2016 | Published in Google Apps, Google Docs
Starting today, you can use “regular expressions” to more quickly and easily find what you’re looking for in Google Docs on the web, much like you can in Google Sheets. With regular expressions, you can search for patterns of text, lists of words, and more, instead of single words or phrases.
For instance, imagine you need to find all the US zip codes referenced in a lengthy document. To do so, you can simply search for [0-9]{5}(-[0-9]{4})?. This will identify any zip code in your document consisting of five numbers with an optional hyphen and four-digit add-on.
To use regular expressions in the Find and Replace function, type the expression into the Find box and check the "Match using regular expressions" box. For more details, including info on those expressions that are supported in Docs, check out the Help Center.
Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)
Impact:
All end users
Action:
Change management suggested/FYI
More Information
Help Center: Search and use find and replace
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates
For instance, imagine you need to find all the US zip codes referenced in a lengthy document. To do so, you can simply search for [0-9]{5}(-[0-9]{4})?. This will identify any zip code in your document consisting of five numbers with an optional hyphen and four-digit add-on.
To use regular expressions in the Find and Replace function, type the expression into the Find box and check the "Match using regular expressions" box. For more details, including info on those expressions that are supported in Docs, check out the Help Center.
Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)
Impact:
All end users
Action:
Change management suggested/FYI
More Information
Help Center: Search and use find and replace
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates