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: Changing Styles.

Changing Styles

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated July 7, 2017)

Once you have defined a style in Word, you can change it at any time. To do this, follow these steps if you are using Word 2002 or Word 2003:

  1. Choose Styles and Formatting from the Format menu. Word displays the Styles and Formatting pane.
  2. In the Pick Formatting to Apply List, locate the style you want to change and simply point to it. (Don't click on it.) Word displays a down-arrow at the right side of the style name.
  3. Click on the down-arrow. Word displays a drop-down menu.
  4. Click on Modify. Word displays the Modify Style dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The Modify Style dialog box.

  5. Change the attributes of the style, as desired. You may need to use the Format button to make your changes.
  6. When completed, click on OK.
  7. To change other styles, repeat steps 2 through 6.
  8. When you are done changing styles, close the Styles and Formatting pane.

If you are using Word 97 or Word 2000, the process is a bit different. Follow these steps to change a style:

  1. Select Style from the Format menu. Word displays the Style dialog box.
  2. In the Styles list, select the style you want to change.
  3. Click on Modify. Word displays Modify Style dialog box opens.
  4. Change the attributes of the style, as desired. You may need to use the Format button to make your changes.
  5. When completed, click on OK. The Cancel button changes to Close.
  6. To change other styles, repeat steps 2 through 5.
  7. When you are done changing styles, click on Close.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (371) 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: Changing Styles.

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

Generating a Count of Word Occurrences

Do you need to know the frequency with which certain words occur in your documents? There is no built-in way to derive ...

Discover More

Separating Names into Individual Columns

If you have a list of names in a column, and you want to separate those names into individual cells, there are several ...

Discover More

Allowing for Prefixes and Suffixes in Find and Replace

Excel includes a rather simplistic find and replace capability. If you have more complex needs, you'll need to seek out ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Style Names Can Affect Style Definitions

Most people think that you can name styles almost anything you want. You can, but there may be some unintended ...

Discover More

Using Alternating Styles

Alternating styles can come in handy when you have to switch between one type of paragraph and another, automatically, as ...

Discover More

Preserving Style Formatting when Combining Documents

Insert one document into another and you may not get the results you expect. Here's why, along with what you can do about it.

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.

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

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}] 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 + 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

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.

Newest Tips
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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.