Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Bypassing the Startup Macro.

Bypassing the Startup Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 15, 2016)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

You can create a macro that Word will run whenever the program is started. There may be times, however, when you want to bypass the startup macro. If this is the case, you can use the following command line to start Word:

winword.exe /m

This command causes Word to start and attempt to run the macro after the /m. Since there is no macro there, Word starts without executing any macro at all. This is also a good trick to try if you suspect you have an AutoExec macro that is doing something hinky to your system.

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 (122) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Bypassing the Startup Macro.

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...

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