WD95: Document Contents Box Is Blank (252993)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95 7.0a
This article was previously published under Q252993

SYMPTOMS

When you view the Contents tab (on the File menu, click Properties), the Document contents box is blank, shows only Title, or shows the title (or first line of text) of the document.

CAUSE

In Microsoft Word, the Contents tab displays only the title or first line of the document. However, in other Microsoft Office programs, the Contents tab displays information about parts of the file.

For example, in Microsoft Excel, the Contents tab lists the sheets that are part of a workbook. In Microsoft PowerPoint, the Contents tab lists fonts used in the presentation as well as slide titles. In Microsoft Binder, the Contents tab lists the sections in the file.

MORE INFORMATION

Unless you specify a document title, Word uses the first line of the document for the title when you first save the file. Word places this information on the Summary and Contents tabs of the Properties dialog box.

To specify a document title, click Properties on the File menu, click the Summary tab, and type a title in the Title text box. If you specify a title, Word copies it from the Summary tab to the Contents tab.

If a file does not show a title on the Summary and Contents tabs, one of the following is probably true:
  • The file has not been saved.

    -or-
  • The file is not a Word file.

    -or-
  • The file was created in an earlier version of Word.
A document can inherit the title of its template; if a template has a title, the same title appears in documents based on that template.

To view document properties from Microsoft Word, click Properties on the File menu. Click the Summary tab to see the document title, or click the Contents tab to see the title.

NOTE: If you change the document title, the updated title does not appear on the Contents tab until you click OK and then reopen the Properties dialog box.

To view the properties of a document from Windows, right-click the document in Windows Explorer, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu that appears. Click the Summary tab and the Statistics tab to get information about the file.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/18/2005
Keywords:kbprb KB252993
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