Changing Color of the Insertion Point

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 7, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Peter Hecht asked if there was a way to change the color used for the insertion point in Word. He changed his background colors, and the black insertion point doesn't contrast well with his chosen colors. Changing it to a lighter, brighter color (like orange) would be the best for him.

Unfortunately, there is no way that I could discover to change the insertion point. There certainly isn't a way in Windows, and in the Display Properties dialog box of Windows there isn't a way to do it, either. You can change the blink rate of the insertion point (using the Keyboard applet in the Control Panel) or you can change the size of the insertion point using Windows' accessibility features, but you can't change the color.

Sorry, Peter!

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (97) 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

Changing Sections

When you divide your document into sections in order to change page layout attributes, you need to give some thought to ...

Discover More

Selecting the First Cell In a Row

When creating macros, you'll often have a need to select different cells in the worksheet. Here's how to select the first ...

Discover More

Errors When Subtracting

When you subtract two numbers from each other, you have a certain expectation of what Excel should deliver. What if you ...

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)

Changing Colors of Spelling and Grammar Underlines

The red and green wavy underlines used in Word can be a boon for proofing a document, but they are of little use if you ...

Discover More

Factory Default Settings for Word

Do you long for a way to reset Word to a "factory default" condition? It is almost impossible to get things to the way ...

Discover More

Changing Measurement Units

When working in Word's dialog boxes, most people understand that you should enter measurements using inches. If you don't ...

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 8 + 6?

2024-09-12 07:34:02

Barry

Only just found/needed this tip - check out:
Win>Settings>Accessibility>Text Cursor. It allows changing the 'Text cursor thickness 'of the cursor(insertion point) and also allows adding a 'Text cursor indicator' with choice of color at the top and bottom of the cursor (also size adjustable).

I am using Windows 11 and Office 2019


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.