Automatically Opening a Document at a Specific Zoom Setting

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 6, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Unfortunately, Word does not have a setting you can use to specify a default "open" zoom level for your documents. (This would be very nice—Redmond, are you listening?) This means that documents open at the zoom level used when the document was originally saved.

One way to work around this is to create an AutoOpen macro, and then save it in the Normal template. This macro is then automatically run whenever a document based on the template is opened. Since every document has access to the Normal template, every document will have access to the macro.

To make the change, simply open the Normal template file directly and then create your macro, as follows:

Public Sub AutoOpen()
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Zoom.Percentage = 200
End Sub

Notice that in this very short macro the zoom level is set to 200, which means 200%. If you want some other default zoom level, simply change the value to the desired percentage. Now save and close your Normal template, and exit Word. When you restart Word and open your other files, they should change to the specified zoom level automatically.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1343) 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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Flipping a Drawing Object

Place a drawing object in your document, and it doesn't have to stay that way. You can flip a drawing object in either of ...

Discover More

Getting User Input in a Dialog Box

Want to grab some interactive input from a user in your macro? The best way to do that is with the InputBox function, ...

Discover More

Positioning Graphics Evenly

If you have some graphics inserted in your document, you may want to adjust the horizontal space between those graphics. ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Word Freezes When Working with Lots of Clip Art

Don't you hate it when Word freezes? Laurie has that problem when she works with clip art in her documents. There are any ...

Discover More

Selecting Tabs in Dialog Boxes

Dialog boxes normally present information in a series of tabs. If you want to move from tab to tab without taking your ...

Discover More

Measurement of Choice Isn't Persistent

Normally, Word allows you to specify what measurement units you want used for the program; just choose Tools | Options | ...

Discover More

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is three more than 3?

2025-06-05 15:35:26

Barbie

Actually, I've found that documents open at the zoom level being used in the document that was closed last.

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.