WD: How to Disable the "AutoFormat As You Type" Feature

 Last reviewed: February 3, 1998
Article ID: Q139564
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SUMMARY

When you click Options on the Tools menu and select the AutoFormat tab, it may be unclear how to disable AutoFormat As You Type. Furthermore, selecting AutoFormat (under Show Options For) clears the AutoFormat As You Type check box, which may give the impression that by selecting one option, the other is disabled. This is not the case.

This article explains how to disable AutoFormat As You Type.

MORE INFORMATION

The AutoFormat tab shows settings for two options: AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type. When you select one option, different settings appear in the lower part of the dialog box.

  • The settings that appear when you select AutoFormat take effect when you click AutoFormat on the Format menu.
  • The settings that appear when you select AutoFormat As You Type take effect as soon as you click OK and start typing in the document.

To disable AutoFormat As You Type, you must clear all the settings that appear below it:

Word 97

  1. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect.

  2. Select the AutoFormat As You Type tab.

  3. Clear (remove the check mark from) all the settings under Apply As You Type, Replace As You Type, and Automatically As You Type.

  4. Click OK.

For more information about why Word may still AutoFormat your document, click the Office Assistant, type "Why is Word still AutoFormatting my document?," click Search, click "Troubleshoot automatic formatting changes", and then click to view "I've turned off automatic formatting options, and Word is still automatically formatting my document."

For more information about what Word does when you select AutoFormat As You Type, click the Office Assistant, type "What happens if I use Autoformat as you type?", click Search, and then click the topic "What types of automatic changes does Word make?".

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Microsoft Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Word 7.0 (95)

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. Select the AutoFormat tab.

  3. Under Show Options For, select AutoFormat As You Type.

  4. Clear (remove the check mark from) all the settings under Apply As You Type and Replace As You Type.

  5. Click OK.

Disabling AutoFormat As You Type does not disable Word's automatic bullets and numbering feature. Instead, AutoFormat As You Type converts characters you type--such as a number and a period or a hyphen--automatically into a numbered or bulleted list. or more information on what Word does when you select AutoFormat As You Type, open the Microsoft Word Help Topic Index, and see the "What happens when I use 'AutoFormat As You Type'" help topic.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q120802
   TITLE     : Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program or
               Component

Additional query words: auto format
Keywords : kbformat word7 word8 word95 word97 kbusage kbfaq
Version : 7.0 97
Platform : WINDOWS winnt

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Last reviewed: February 3, 1998
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