MS Word help wanted

August 4, 2006 3:15 PM

MSWord formatting filter: Is my PC possessed? Suddenly, when I select a line of text and make it bold, italic or bulleted, the ENTIRE DOCUMENT assumes that formatting. What gives?

FWIW, I've been using Word for well over ten years, Mac & PC. I'm rated Expert (MOUS). I even used to be a full-time desktop apps trainer (Intro through Advanced). I only say that to emphasize this is not a rookie goof. I've even uninstalled and reinstalled Word, but no luck.

Details: I'm running XP on a PC. This weirdness only happens when I select an entire line of text, with either the mouse or keyboard. (When I format a single word, everything's jake.)

A clue, perhaps: When I hit "undo," the REST of the document corrects itself, but the original line I selected remains bold (or italic or bulleted, whatever), just as I wanted. I suspect that means somehow TWO commands are being executed at the same time. Otherwise, when I hit undo, EVERYTHING would be undid. Wouldn't it?

Has this formatting forkup happened to others in the hive? How did you fix it? Suggestions would be mucho appreciated.

PS: Please spare the rants about switching to a different app. My clients all use MS Word, so I'm stuck with it. ;-)

posted by wordwhiz to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Are you perhaps a victim of style inheritance? Is something you are doing causing your Normal style to be updated, because if that is happening, every other style in the document that is based on Normal will update immediately.
posted by paulsc at 3:21 PM on August 4, 2006

Your styles are automatically updating. So click Format -> Styles and formatting. Click the arrow next to Normal and choose modify. Then uncheck automatically update.
posted by special-k at 3:38 PM on August 4, 2006

PS: Do the same thing for any other styles that are misbehaving.
posted by special-k at 3:39 PM on August 4, 2006

special-k -- you nailed it! Thanks!
posted by wordwhiz at 3:49 PM on August 4, 2006

Not that it's a contest, but didn't paulsc nail it first?
posted by iconjack at 6:51 PM on August 4, 2006

Yeah, but he didn't say how to fix it.
posted by squidlarkin at 1:00 PM on August 5, 2006

Here's an add-on for those having the same problem. Not only should you uncheck "Automatically update" but DO check "Add to template" so all subsequent documents behave.

Thanks again to all. The bruises on my forehead (from banging my head on the keyboard) are starting to fade...
posted by wordwhiz at 6:04 PM on August 5, 2006