Formatting Issues

How to Format Text Inside Quotation Marks Using Word Wildcards

Bushra Parveen Oct 7, 2026 872 views

Question details

The user wants to locate text enclosed in straight quotation marks and apply specific text formatting (such as bold and underline) using Word's wildcard search functionality.

Format Text Inside Quotation Marks Using Wildcards

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Applying consistent styling to quoted text across a document without manually selecting each instance.
Observed behavior: The basic wildcard search pattern selects both the text and the quotation marks, applying the formatting to the quotation marks as well, which requires a workaround to resolve.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure your document uses correctly paired straight quotation marks, as missing or mismatched quotes will cause the wildcard search to select unintended portions of your text.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Find and Replace with Wildcards (Two-Step Process)

Use Word's native Find and Replace tool with wildcards to locate the quoted text, apply the formatting, and then run a second replacement to remove the formatting from the quotation marks themselves.

This method is straightforward and doesn't require programming knowledge. It formats everything including the quotes first, then reverts the formatting of just the quotation marks.

Open Find and Replace

Press Ctrl + H on your keyboard to open the Find and Replace dialog box. Click the 'More >>' button to expand the options, and check the 'Use wildcards' box.

Enter the Search Criteria

In the 'Find what' field, type "*" (an asterisk enclosed in straight quotation marks). This tells Word to find any text between quotation marks.

Apply Formatting and Replace

Click into the 'Replace with' field and type ^& (which represents the found text). Then, click the 'Format' button at the bottom, select 'Font', choose your desired formatting (e.g., Bold and Underline), click 'OK', and hit 'Replace All'.

Remove Formatting from Quotes

To unformat the quotes, do a second search. Uncheck 'Use wildcards'. In 'Find what', type a single quotation mark ("). In 'Replace with', type a single quotation mark ("). Click 'Format' > 'Font', select 'Regular' font style and 'None' for underline, then click 'Replace All'.

Use Find and Replace with Wildcards (Two-Step Process)

Alternative Wildcard Pattern: To prevent the search from spanning across multiple paragraphs if a quote is left unclosed, use "[!^ "]@" instead of "*" in the Find what field.

Solution 2

Use a VBA Macro for Precise Formatting

Run a VBA script to automatically select and format only the text inside the quotation marks, leaving the quotation marks themselves untouched in a single step.

Efficient Document Formatting

Format Text with Wildcards in WPS Writer

WPS Writer provides powerful Find and Replace functionality with full wildcard support, making it easy to batch-format quoted text. It is highly compatible with Word documents and offers an intuitive interface for complex formatting tasks.

1. Open Find and Replace: Launch WPS Writer, open your document, and press Ctrl + H to bring up the Find and Replace dialog.
2. Enable Wildcard Search: Click on the 'Options' button in the dialog to reveal advanced settings, and check the 'Use wildcards' option.
3. Execute Search and Replace: Enter "*" in the Find field, type ^& in the Replace field, use the Format button to apply your preferred styles, and click 'Replace All'.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word .docx formatsRobust Find and Replace tool with advanced wildcard supportFree, lightweight, and incredibly fast to launchFamiliar ribbon interface for a seamless user transition

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the wildcard "*" select multiple paragraphs instead of just one quote?

If quotation marks are missing or unbalanced in your document, the asterisk wildcard will keep selecting text until it encounters the next quotation mark, which might be paragraphs away. To prevent this, use a more restricted wildcard pattern like "[!^ "]@" instead of "*".

Can I use this method for smart (curly) quotes?

Yes, but you cannot use straight quotes on your keyboard for the search pattern. You must type or copy-paste the specific smart quote characters (the opening and closing curly quotes) into the Find field, for example: “*”.

What does the ^& symbol mean in the Replace field?

The ^& symbol is a special code that tells the Find and Replace tool to take the exact text that was just found in the search and re-insert it, allowing you to append new formatting to it without changing the actual words.

Document & File Issues