Word 2003 AutoText & AutoCorrect

Using Your Computer To Work Smarter

 “Like an ant on a stick both ends of which are burning, I go to and fro without knowing what to do,…”

All of us have days that just seem to get away from us.  But there is hope!  There are features or tools in most of our software programs that will help us be more productive.

AutoText – If you have a group of text that you type regularly – the signature block on your letters, a table you use for quoting new projects, the page you use for listing steps in a job – you can use AutoText to save the text and formatting then insert it whenever you need it.

To create the AutoText:

1. Type your text.
2. Format your text.
3. Select all of the text and formatting.
4. Go to Insert on the menubar > AutoText > New
5. In the window that opens, name your text group. EX: my signature block.
6. Click OK.

When you’re ready to insert the text in a document:

1. Place your cursor where you want the text group to go.
2. Start typing the NAME of the text. EX: my signat
3. A small box will pop up over your curser with a sample of the AutoText.
4. Hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
5. The entire AutoText that you created and named “my signature block” will type into the document with the same formatting you gave it.

AutoCorrect – If there is a long word or phrase you frequently type such as your full company name, a product you sell, a service you offer, you can list it in AutoCorrect so Word will type it for you! 

To create the AutoCorrect:

1. Type the text you want to insert and format it. EX: Your Computer Lady.
2. Select the text.
3. Go to Tools on the meubar > AutoCorrect Options
4. Click on the AutoCorrect tab
5. In the “Replace” field, type your abbreviation or short version. EX: “ycl”.
6. In the “With” field, you will see your selected text.
7. Above the “With” field, you can select to insert your corrected text as either “Plain text” or “Formatted text.” EX: Your Computer Lady (Plain text) or Your Computer Lady (Formatted text).
8. Click the Add button.
9. Click OK.

When you’re ready to insert the text in a document:

1. Place your curser where you want to insert the text.
2. Type your “Replace” text. EX: ycl.
3. Hit the space bar on your keyboard.
4. Word will type the whole text for you. EX: Your Computer Lady

AutoCorrect can also be used to automatically correct words that you spell wrong!  EX: Replace “Pheonix” With “Phoenix”  Every time I mis-spell the city, Word fixes it for me!