Find and Replace
Find and replace helps you search for text in your script and optionally swap it with something new. It is especially handy for renaming characters, fixing repeated typos, or updating location names across your entire screenplay.
Opening find and replace
- Press <kbd>Cmd</kbd>+<kbd>F</kbd> (or <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>F</kbd> on Windows) to open the find bar.
- Press <kbd>Cmd</kbd>+<kbd>H</kbd> (or <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>H</kbd> on Windows) to open find and replace, which includes both the search field and the replacement field.
A compact bar appears at the top of the editor with the search input focused and ready to type.
Finding text
Type your search term and the editor will instantly highlight every match in your script. The current match is highlighted in a distinct color so you can see exactly where you are.
- Press <kbd>Enter</kbd> or the down arrow to jump to the next match.
- Press <kbd>Shift</kbd>+<kbd>Enter</kbd> or the up arrow to jump to the previous match.
- The match count updates as you type, so you always know how many instances exist.
The editor scrolls to bring each match into view as you navigate.
Replacing text
With find and replace open (<kbd>Cmd</kbd>+<kbd>H</kbd>), you will see a second field for the replacement text. You have two options:
- Replace swaps the current highlighted match and moves to the next one.
- Replace all swaps every match in the script at once.
Case sensitivity
By default, find and replace is case-insensitive, meaning a search for "john" will match "John," "JOHN," and "john."
Toggle the case sensitivity option to restrict matches to the exact casing you typed. This is useful when you need to distinguish between a character name (JOHN) and a common word (john) that might appear in dialogue or action.
Practical uses for writers
Find and replace is not just for fixing typos. Here are a few ways writers use it every day:
Renaming a character. Changed your mind about a character's name? Search for the old name and replace all with the new one. Just be mindful of partial matches. If your character is named "AL," you probably want case-sensitive search turned on so you don't accidentally change every "also" and "already" in your script.
Updating a location. If "THE WAREHOUSE" becomes "THE FACTORY," a quick replace all updates every scene heading and action line that references it.
Finding a scene. If you remember a specific line of dialogue or a location name but can't remember where it is, use find to jump right to it.
Checking consistency. Search for a character name to see every scene they appear in. This is a quick way to audit a character's presence throughout your script.
Closing find and replace
Press <kbd>Escape</kbd> to close the find bar and return to writing. All highlights will clear and you are back to a clean page.