Recently updated articles

How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010

How to set up heading numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010

Background and foreground: Shading in paragraph styles

For developers: The background colour in a paragraph style is controlled through the Shading object. It manages background and foreground colour and texture. The Word object model is straight-forward, but you need to choose the right texture as well as the background and foreground colours.

4 ways to control page breaks within tables and table styles (for developers)

For developers: How to prevent a whole table, or just one or more rows, from breaking across a page. The Microsoft Word object model has 4 ways to manage, or prevent, tables from breaking across a page. Some of them work.

Word reports the .BaseStyle of styles inaccurately

Shading (ie background colour) in table styles

For developers: how to set the background colour in a table style using the Microsoft Word object model. There are 7 ways to set shading (ie background or foreground colour) on elements of a table style in Microsoft Word. Most don't work. This article describes what does seem to work, and identifies the bugs and annoyances in setting shading in table styles.

How to detect frames in paragraph styles

In the user interface, it is obvious if a paragraph style has a frame. It's not so obvious in the Word object model. There is no built-in method to determine whether a style has a Frame. This article identifies one possible way around this problem.

7 reasons to upgrade from Microsoft Word 2007 to Word 2010

Is your image slipping? How to get your images to stand still

Word has two ways to position an image: floating and inline. Most problems with images occur because the image is floating when it should be in line. This article explains how to identify whether an image is floating or inline, and how to format your image as floating or inline.

Managing pagination (or, avoiding page breaks where you don’t want them)

How to get the page breaks you want in a Microsoft Word document---and how to avoid page breaks where you don't want them.

Creating images to customize the Ribbon in Word 2007 and Word 2010

For graphic designers: what kind of image is required for use as a custom image when customizing the Ribbon in Microsoft Word 2007 and Word 2010?

Returning a value after .Show-ing a built-in Word dialog box

Word VBA resources

A list of tools, add-ins, websites and books for Word developers. Most apply whether you are using VBA, .NET or other languages to access the Word object model.

How to keep a figure on the same page as its caption in Microsoft Word

How to number headings and figures in Appendixes in Microsoft Word

How does Track Changes in Microsoft Word work?

There are four steps to tracking changes: 1. Tell Word to track changes. 2. Tell Word to display Tracked Changes. 3. Tell Word how to display Tracked Changes. 4. Tell Word to accept or reject the changes This page explains how.

Design Mode in Word 2007 and Word 2010: How to detect it and turn it on and off

Word 2007 and Word 2010 have a 'Design mode' button for editing content controls. .FormsDesign and .ToggleFormsDesign detect or toggle Design mode.

The basic way to format text in Word is to apply a style: A Tip for managers

For managers: Word formats everything with styles. Controlling the format of Word documents using styles increases both productivity and consistency.

Understanding styles

How to save a Word document as a template

If you save a Word document as a template, your template will start life with all the accumulated baggage and garbage that the document had acquired. Here is how to create a pristine, clean, new Word template in Word 2007 or Word 2010.

How to use the Document Map in Microsoft Word

The Document Map shows an overview of your Word document. It lets you navigate rapidly. It's most useful when you're working on a big document. Here's how.

How to apply a style in Microsoft Word

15 ways to apply a style using the mouse or the keyboard in Microsoft Word.

Editing a document that someone else has prepared: 6 tips for managers

Even if you don't create many Word documents, you may edit documents your team members have created. 6 tips on how to edit a document someone else prepared.

How to create a glossary in Microsoft Word

Word has no built-in mechanism to create glossaries. This article describes several methods for creating a glossary using Word's built-in features.

What version of Word do I have?

Start up Microsoft Word. Compare these pictures to Word running on your computer to find out what version of Word you have.

Complete Word Count

The CompleteWordCount add‑in allows you to see a full word count for the different areas of your document.

What happens when I send my document to someone else? Will Word mess up my formatting?

Myths, urban legends, misunderstandings and confusion reign. Don't save your document if the 'Automatically update document styles' box in the Templates and Add-Ins dialog is ticked. If that box is not ticked then Word will not mess up your formatting if you send your document to someone else.

Set up Word so it works effectively for your team: A tip for managers

Learn the lingo: A tip for managers

How to create a hyperlink from a Word document to an Excel workbook

How to insert an Excel chart or worksheet range into a landscape page in a Word document

How to copy a chart from Excel into a Word document

How to control bullets in Microsoft Word

Overview of how to control bullets in Microsoft Word.

What happens when I attach a new template to my document? or How do I copy content and settings from a template to a document?

You can attach a new template to a document. But when you do so, you might not get the results you expect. This article explains what happens when you attach a template to a document, and how to achieve what you may think should have happened.

What is the relationship between a Microsoft Word document and its template?

Describes how a document is based on a template, what effect the template has when a new document is created, and what role the template plays when a document is being edited.

How to control bullets in Microsoft Word 2000, 2002 and 2003

In Word 2000, 2002 and 2003, you can control bullets by using the built-in List Bullet styles. This page explains how to use the List Bullet styles to get reliable bullets that you can control.