Bulk Find and Replace Multiple Text Patterns at Once

When you need to make many different replacements in your list, doing them one at a time is tedious and time-consuming. ListWrangler’s Bulk Mode lets you define multiple find-and-replace pairs and execute them all at once.

What You’ll Learn

In this guide, you’ll discover how to:

• Switch to Bulk Mode for batch replacements
• Add multiple find-and-replace pairs
• Reorder and manage replacement rows
• Execute all replacements simultaneously

Why Use Bulk Find and Replace?

Bulk mode is perfect when you need to:

• Clean imported data with multiple inconsistencies
• Standardize terminology across your list
• Fix multiple typos in one operation
• Convert abbreviations to full text (or vice versa)
• Migrate data formats with multiple pattern changes

Step 1: Open Find & Replace in Bulk Mode

1. Click the Find & Replace button in the toolbar
2. In the modal, click the Bulk tab at the top
3. You’ll see a table with columns for “Find” and “Replace”

Step 2: Add Your Replacement Pairs

Each row represents one find-and-replace operation:

1. First row: Enter your first find text and replacement
2. Click Add Row (+ button) to add more pairs
3. Continue adding all the replacements you need

Example: Standardizing State Abbreviations

Find	Replace
NY	New York
CA	California
TX	Texas
FL	Florida
IL	Illinois

Step 3: Organize Your Replacements

The order of replacements matters! Replacements are executed sequentially from top to bottom.

Reorder Rows

• Click the up arrow to move a row higher in the list
• Click the down arrow to move a row lower
• This is important when one replacement might affect another

Remove Rows

• Click the trash icon next to any row to delete it
• Use Clear All to remove all rows and start fresh

Why Order Matters

Consider this scenario:

1. Replace cat with feline
2. Replace feline with cat

If you run these in this order, “cat” becomes “feline” in step 1, then back to “cat” in step 2! Always plan your replacement order carefully.

Step 4: Preview and Execute

1. Enable Show Preview to see all changes that will be made
2. Check the total replacement count at the bottom
3. Review the preview panel to verify changes
4. Click Replace All to execute all replacements

Practical Use Cases

Use Case 1: Data Cleanup After Import

When importing data from spreadsheets or databases, you often have inconsistent formatting:

Find	Replace
N/A	(empty)
null	(empty)
undefined	(empty)
"	(empty)

Use Case 2: Converting Product Codes

Update old product codes to new ones:

Find	Replace
SKU-001	PROD-A001
SKU-002	PROD-A002
SKU-003	PROD-A003

Use Case 3: Normalizing Names

Standardize name formats in your list:

Find	Replace
Jr.	Junior
Sr.	Senior
Dr.	Doctor
Mr.	Mister
Mrs.	Missus

Use Case 4: HTML Entity Conversion

Convert HTML entities to actual characters:

Find	Replace
&	&
&lt;	<
&gt;	>
&quot;	"
&nbsp;

Use Case 5: Regional Spelling Variants

Convert between American and British English:

Find	Replace
colour	color
favourite	favorite
organisation	organization
centre	center
behaviour	behavior

Tips for Efficient Bulk Replacements

1. Start with the Most Specific

Put longer, more specific patterns first to avoid partial matches:

• Replace New York City before New York
• Replace JavaScript before Java

2. Group Related Replacements

Keep similar replacements together for easier management and debugging.

3. Test on a Sample First

If you have a large list, test your bulk replacements on a small sample to verify they work as expected.

4. Use Empty Replacements to Delete

Leave the “Replace” field empty to delete the matched text entirely.

5. Document Complex Replacement Sets

For frequently used replacement sets, keep notes on what each set does for future reference.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Conflicting patterns: Two patterns that could match the same text
2. Wrong order: Not considering how earlier replacements affect later ones
3. Missing entries: Forgetting edge cases or variations
4. Case sensitivity: Not accounting for different capitalizations

What’s Next?

Take your find and replace skills further:

• Using Regex Patterns - Use powerful pattern matching
• Extract Data from Lists - Pull specific data types
• Create Custom Patterns - Build reusable patterns

Frequently Asked Questions

How many replacement pairs can I add?

There’s no hard limit. Add as many as you need for your task.

Can I save my bulk replacement sets?

Currently, bulk replacements are session-based. For frequently used patterns, consider using the Custom Patterns feature.

Are bulk replacements case-sensitive?

By default, yes. Each replacement uses exact matching. For case-insensitive bulk operations, you may need to add variations (e.g., both “Error” and “error”).

What happens if no matches are found?

Rows with no matches are simply skipped. You’ll see a count of 0 matches for those entries, but it won’t cause any errors.