Word Replace Underline With Italic? Quick Fix

To replace underlining with italics in Microsoft Word, you can use the Find and Replace feature with formatting options. This article explains the exact steps, along with tips for handling mixed formatting and avoiding common pitfalls.

Why Replace Underline with Italic?

Underlining is often used in typewritten documents to indicate emphasis, but in modern typography, italics are the standard for titles, foreign words, and emphasis. Replacing underline with italic can make a document look more professional and consistent. While you could manually select each underlined passage and press Ctrl+I, Word’s Find and Replace can do this automatically.

How to Replace Underline with Italic in Word (Desktop)

These steps work in Microsoft Word 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 for Windows and Mac (slight menu differences noted).

1. Press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Cmd+H (Mac) to open the Find and Replace dialog.
2. Click in the Find what box, then click More (or the down arrow) to expand the options.
3. Click Format at the bottom, then choose Font.
4. In the Font dialog, under Underline style, select Single (or the style you used, e.g., Words only). Leave all other settings as “(any)� and click OK.
5. Click in the Replace with box, then click Format > Font again.
6. In the Font dialog, set Underline style to (none) and Font style to Italic. Click OK.
7. Click Replace All. Word will scan the document and replace all underlined text with italic text.

What If You Only Want to Replace Some Underlines?

If you don’t want to replace every underline, use Find Next and Replace individually. Word will show you each underlined segment, and you can decide to replace it or skip it. This is useful when underlines are used for hyperlinks or other elements you want to keep.

Common Problems and How to Solve Them

• Problem: The Find and Replace doesn’t find anything, even though you have underlined text.
  Solution: Make sure the underline style is set correctly. If you used a double underline, select “Double� in step 4.
• Problem: The replacement removes the underline but doesn’t add italics.
  Solution: In the Replace with Font dialog, you must explicitly set the Font style to Italic. If you leave it as “(any)�, Word won’t change it.
• Problem: The replacement also affects hyperlinks (which are underlined).
  Solution: Use Find Next and skip those instances, or first change hyperlink formatting to remove underline, then do the replacement.
• Problem: Some underlined text is missed because it’s part of a style (e.g., Heading styles).
  Solution: The Find and Replace works on direct formatting. If the underline comes from a style, you need to modify the style itself (right-click the style in the Home tab > Modify > Format > Font).

Alternative Methods

If Find and Replace feels too complex, you can use a macro, but that requires programming knowledge. A simpler alternative is to use the Select All trick: press Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+U to remove all underlines, then Ctrl+I to italicize everything – but that would italicize the whole document, which is rarely what you want. The Find and Replace method is the safest and most precise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I replace underline with italic in Word Online (free web version)?

No, the free Word for the web does not support Find and Replace with formatting options. You’ll need to use the desktop version of Word. You can open the document in the desktop app (if you have it) or use Google Docs, which has a similar feature (Edit > Find and Replace > More > Match style).

Will this replace underlines in hyperlinks?

Yes, if you use “Replace All�, it will change hyperlinks too, because they are just underlined text. If you want to keep hyperlinks underlined, you should use “Find Next� and skip those instances, or change the hyperlink style first (right-click the hyperlink > Font > Underline style: None).

What if I have both single and double underlines?

You’ll need to run the Find and Replace twice: once for single underline, and once for double underline. In the Find what Font dialog, select the appropriate underline style each time.

Can I replace italic with underline the same way?

Yes, just reverse the formatting in the Find and Replace dialog. In the Find what box, set Font style to Italic, and in the Replace with box, set Underline style to Single and Font style to Regular.

Does this work with tracked changes?

If tracked changes is on, Word will treat the replacement as a change and show it as an insertion/deletion. That’s fine if you want to review each change. If you want to accept all changes first, go to Review > Accept All Changes, then do the replacement.

In summary, replacing underline with italic in Word is a simple formatting task when you use Find and Replace with formatting options. Just remember to set the underline style in the “Find what� and both remove underline and add italic in the “Replace with�. This method saves time and ensures consistency across your document.

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