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How to replace hard returns with soft returns in Word?

Author Tech Support Last modified

When formatting a Word document, you may need to replace paragraph marks (hard returns) with manual line breaks (soft returns) to improve text flow. Manually making these changes can be time-consuming, but there are efficient ways to automate the process. This guide will introduce three simple methods to quickly convert hard returns to soft returns in Word.

Tip: To make paragraph marks (Hard return symbol), manual line breaks (Soft return symbol) and other hidden formatting symbols visible, click the Show/Hide button in the Home tab.

Show/Hide button on the ribbon

Replace hard returns with soft returns using the Find and Replace function

Instead of manually replacing hard returns (paragraph marks) with soft returns (manual line breaks), you can use the Find and Replace function to do this efficiently.

  1. In a Word document, click Home > Replace to open the Find and Replace window.
    Tip: Alternatively, press Ctrl + H to open the Find and Replace window.
  2. Click the More button to expand the Search Options.
  3. Place the cursor in the Find what box, then select Paragraph Mark from the Special drop-down list.
    Find and Replace window with More button clicked to show more Search Options, cursor placed in the Find what box, and Paragraph Mark selected from the Special drop-down list
  4. Place the cursor in the Replace with box, then select Manual Line Break from the Special drop-down list.
    Find and Replace window with More button clicked to show more Search Options, cursor placed in the Replace with box, and Manual Line Break selected from the Special drop-down list
  5. Click Replace All.

Replace hard returns with soft returns using Kutools for Word

The easiest way to convert hard returns (paragraph marks) to soft returns (manual line breaks) is by using Kutools for Word. With just one click, you can efficiently convert paragraph marks across the entire document or a selected section.

Kutools for Word, equipped with AI πŸ€–, offers over 100 handy features to simplify your tasks.
  • To convert all hard returns to soft returns in a document: Click Kutools > Convert > Paragraph Marks to Manual Line Breaks.
  • To convert hard returns to soft returns from a section of the document: Select the section first, and then click Kutools > Convert > Paragraph Marks to Manual Line Breaks.
    Convert Paragraph Marks to Manual Line Breaks option on the Kutools tab on the ribbon

After applying the Convert Paragraph Marks to Manual Line Breaks tool, your document will be updated as shown below.

Document with paragraph marks
Arrow
Document with paragraph marks converted to manual line breaks
Kutools for Word is the ultimate Word add-in that streamlines your work and boosts your document processing skills. Get It Now!

If you want to replace soft returns with hard returns, please visit: replace soft returns with hard returns in Word.


Replace hard returns with soft returns using VBA code

You can use VBA to quickly replace hard returns (paragraph marks) with soft returns (manual line breaks) in a Word document.

  1. Press Alt + F11 in Word to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
  2. Click Insert > Module, then copy and paste the following VBA code into the Module window:
    Sub ReplaceMLBwithPM()
    Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
    Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting
    With Selection.Find
    .Text = "^p"
    .Replacement.Text = "^l"
    .Forward = True
    .Wrap = wdFindContinue
    .Format = False
    .MatchCase = False
    .MatchWholeWord = False
    .MatchByte = False
    .MatchAllWordForms = False
    .MatchSoundsLike = False
    .MatchWildcards = False
    .MatchFuzzy = False
    End With
    Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
    End Sub
  3. Click the Run button Run button or press F5 to execute the VBA code.

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