Turning Off AutoComplete for Dates

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 24, 2018)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


2

Liz asked if there was a way to turn off AutoComplete for dates, but leave the rest of AutoComplete available for use with her many AutoText entries.

Unfortunately, there is no way to do this—it is an all-or-nothing proposition with AutoComplete. If you turn it off (Insert | AutoText | AutoText | Show AutoComplete Suggestions), you won't see the "hints" for AutoText. However, just because you turn AutoComplete off doesn't mean you cannot access your AutoText. If you know the starting few characters of an AutoText entry, all you need to do is type the first few letters and then press F3. Word springs into action and expands the AutoText entry the same as if you had used AutoComplete to expand it.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (229) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Quickly Inserting the Date Your Way

Tired of messing with inserting the date and then changing it to a format that is more to your liking? There's a quick ...

Discover More

Changing Chart Size

Place a chart on a worksheet and you may not be satisfied with its size. Changing the size of a chart is a simple process ...

Discover More

Permanently Turning Off the Tracking of Formatting Changes

The Track Changes tool can be a great asset when you are working on a document with others. It can also be a hassle if ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

AutoText Behaving Erratically

The AutoText feature of Word is a great tool for adding common text or phrases with a minimum of fuss. What do you do if ...

Discover More

Wrong Suggested Date

When you start to type a date into a document, Word helpfully suggests a full date that you can accept. The result is ...

Discover More

Table Borders not Stored in AutoText

Many people create tables and store those tables in AutoText entries for later use. If the formatting of those tables ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is one less than 9?

2016-02-28 01:34:04

spam

"Unfortunately, there is no way to do this"

Any more tips?!


2014-06-07 01:11:48

Iris Wood

I have it turned on and cant turn it off even if I revert to default. How can I turn it offf please?


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.