HOW TO: Turn Off AutoFormat Features in Word 2002 (291473)

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to turn off AutoFormat features in Microsoft Word 2002.

The AutoFormat features in Word work behind the scenes to produce an attractive, easy-to-read document while you concentrate on the content. Word analyzes each paragraph to see how it is used in the document (for example, as a heading or as an item in a numbered list) and then applies an appropriate style for that item. For example, Word can automatically format Internet, network, and e-mail addresses as hyperlinks, apply bold or underline character formatting to text that you enclose in asterisks or underscores, or replace hyphens with dashes.

You can automatically format a document either as you type it or all at one time. AutoFormat works in the following ways:

• Word automatically formats items such as headings, bulleted and numbered lists, borders, numbers, and symbols as you type your document. You can control which automatic changes Word makes, or you can turn AutoFormat off completely.
• You can automatically format selected document text or the whole unformatted document, such as an e-mail message, when you click AutoFormat on the Format menu. You can review, accept, or reject each change.
• Word automatically formats headings and lists in your plain text WordMail messages when you open them. You can easily distinguish the current message from the previous messages in the e-mail stream.

By default, AutoFormat is "on" the first time you start Word. You can turn off the options that you do not want.

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Turn Off "AutoFormat As You Type" Options

To turn off automatic format options that apply as you type your document, follow these steps:

1. Start Word.
2. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect Options.
3. Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
4. Under Replace as you type, Apply as you type, and Automatically as you type, click to clear the check boxes next to the items that you do not want Word to automatically format as you type. After you do so, you can format these items manually.
5. Click OK.

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Turn Off AutoFormat Options

To turn off automatic format options that apply when you click AutoFormat on the Format menu, follow these steps:

1. Start Word.
2. On the Format menu, click AutoFormat.
3. Click Options, and then click the AutoFormat tab.
4. Under Apply, Replace, Preserve, and Always AutoFormat, click to clear the check boxes next to the options that you do not want Word to automatically format.
5. Click OK.

When you click OK in the AutoFormat dialog box to automatically format your existing Word document, Word uses only the features that you selected to format your document.

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Where Are the AutoFormat Options Saved?

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

When you change the AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type options, the changes are saved to the Windows registry in the Word Data key.

If the changes that you make to the AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type options are not being saved, part of the Windows registry may be damaged. To correct this problem, follow these steps to reset the Data key:

1. Quit Word and all other programs.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. Locate and then click the following registry key:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Data

5. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
6. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
7. Quit Registry Editor.
   
   The next time you start Word, the Word Data key is automatically re-created in the Windows registry.

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