Issue with the search feature in Word 2024

Saint/112 40 Reputation points
2026-09-11T13:57:23.34+00:00

Hello folks.

My configuration:

Mac OS Tahoe

Word 2024

This version introduced a new search gimmick that originates obviously from Apple's. It's just as dysfunctional as the original.

Case 1: I am working on Document A with 2 windows open. Lets call them Document A1 and Document A2. I am writing in Document A1 and I need to do a search "Harry Potter" so I go to Document A2 to do it. After that I go back to Document A1 but then the same search is automatically performed there too. Therefore I have to find where I was working in the first place.

Case 2, even worse: I have 2 open documents: Document A and Document B. I am working on the first and I need to do a search in the second. When I go back to the first the same thing happens across those 2 different documents.

It's extremely annoying. I had previously Word 2019 and this didn't happen. It hadn't yet been contaminated by Apple's gimmick.

I found out how to stop this imbecile behavior: obviously the search stays alive across all windows of the same document as well as across all different documents as long as the box still contains the search chain. This happens even if the first document has already a chain in the search box. The work-around is, when I am done with the search in the second document, to delete the chain and/or to close the box.

I think that one of the causes of the issue is that a search is performed as soon one character is entered in the box (which is already annoying by itself) and stays constantly alive after.

Is there a way to kill this?

Nick

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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  1. Saint/112 40 Reputation points
    2026-09-11T20:33:59.3233333+00:00

    Hi Bob, thanks for you quick answer.

    I am not using the Advanced Find & Replace feature. I am using the little Apple box by the shortcut [Command+F]. This little box is also used in many Apple applications. Actually it has also an even worse effect:

    Case 3: I am doing a search in Document A and go to Document B to do another search. When I am back to Document A search became greyed and is not operational anymore and it searchs what's in Document B. I have to go back to Document B and kill the search. So this behavior is obviously there by design. Who the heck thought it was practical?

    This idiotic search feature became useless. It used to be extremely simplistic but it worked. I'll use the Search feature in the Sidebar. The issue is that I need the Navigation pane too. Or I may go back to LibreOffice which has a very sophisticated search feature.

    Nick

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  2. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 437.7K Reputation points
    2026-09-11T17:32:54.92+00:00

    It sounds like you're using Advanced Find & Replace which I believe is designed to work globally in order to enable searching across multiple documents without having to repeatedly enter the same criteria.

    Have you tried using the Edit> Find - Find command [Command+F], the Search pane in the Sidebar or the 🔎 [Command+Control+U] at the right end of the document title bar? They are document-specific.

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