FAQ

When using WPS PDF Find and Replace, common questions usually involve unavailable buttons, scanned PDFs, bulk replacement checks, and undo behavior; this section covers 4 frequent questions.

FAQ

What should I do if the Find and Replace button is grayed out?

1. Confirm that you have opened a PDF file instead of staying on a start page or another inactive screen.
2. Check whether your account has the required WPS Premium benefits, since PDF editing features are generally tied to membership access.
3. Make sure the file itself allows editing. If the file is protected, some editing features may be unavailable.
4. If the PDF is scanned, run OCR first and then try find and replace again.

How do I replace all matches at once?

1. Open the Find and Replace panel and switch to the Replace tab.
2. Enter the old text in Find what and the new text in Replace with.
3. Set options such as Match case, Find whole words only, or Use wildcards if needed.
4. Click Replace All to process all matches in the current document.
5. After the replacement finishes, review key sections to confirm the result.

Can I undo a replacement?

1. If you have just completed the replacement, try Ctrl+Z right away.
2. After undoing, review the search conditions and replacement text again.
3. If you need to run the replacement again, consider replacing items one by one before using Replace All.

Why can’t a scanned PDF find the text?

1. Content in scanned PDFs usually exists as images, so it is not treated as editable text directly.
2. Run OCR on the scanned file first to convert image text into recognizable text.
3. After OCR is complete, open the find and replace panel again and search for the target content.
4. If OCR results contain recognition errors, review them before replacing text.

Glossary