Canceling a Menu

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 26, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


If you begin to select an option from one of the Word menus, you can cancel the menu by one of three methods:

  • Press Esc twice (the second time is necessary to return you to your document)
  • Click on the menu name a second time
  • Click somewhere outside the menu area

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (388) 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. ...

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