Batch Replacer for MS Word for Windows

Batch Replacer for MS Word is a plug-in for the Useful File Utilities program that allows users to complete find-and-replace tasks in multiple documents at once. The plug-in works but is not particularly easy to use.

We previously reviewed Useful File Utilities on its own and came to the conclusion that it was a mediocre file management tool, more complicated than it really needed to be and without any notable features. Batch Replacer for MS Word adds an extra bit of functionality, but fits in with the general feel of the program, which is that it's not very user-friendly. Users select the files they want to edit from a cluttered-looking file browser and then access the plug-in. Somewhat strangely, the program uses an Excel file to handle the finding and replacing; users must open a spreadsheet and insert the word they want to find in column A and the word they want to replace it with in column B. We do like that users can also change the font, highlighting, or other characteristics of the replacement, making it easy to track changes. Once the spreadsheet is saved, the program runs the find-and-replace task in the selected files. Does the program work? Yes. Are there easier ways to accomplish the same task? Indeed there are. Although the program comes with a brief built-in Help file, we found overall that it was a bit of a hassle to use.

Batch Replacer for MS Word is free. It comes as a ZIP file but installs and uninstalls without issues. We do not particularly recommend this program; if you're already happily using Useful File Utilities, this isn't a bad addition, but otherwise, don't bother.