If you are a new Word user, you may have noticed that there are many ways you can mess up your document using Word. This comment isn't meant to be flippant or disparaging. The truth of the matter is that Word provides quite a bit of editing power. Along with that power goes the ability to mess up a document if the powerful tools are not used correctly.
A very simple example may be in order. Let's say you are typing along, and you look at your document. You notice that some text you previously entered is gone, and each character you type seems to also delete a character. What is going on?
If this happens to you, stop for just a moment. Take a look at the status bar at the bottom of the Word document window. If you see the letters OVR in bold type on the status bar, the problem is that you have inadvertently hit the Insert key as you were typing. When you do, Word enters a special editing mode known as "overtype mode" (that's what the OVR characters stand for). While in overtype mode, everything you type replaces something else in your document. For instance, when you type a letter, it replaces the letter to the right of the insertion point. When overtype mode is not active, your text is inserted where the insertion point is located.
To undo your messed-up document, first turn off overtype mode by pressing the Insert key again. (The OVR characters on the status bar should no longer be bold.) Then, press Ctrl+Z to undo your last edit. You can continue to press Ctrl+Z until all the characters you inadvertently overtyped are again within your document. Now you can go ahead and continue typing without overtyping your original text.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (537) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
When you type quote marks in a document, Word normally changes them to Smart Quotes. They look better on a printout, but ...
Discover MorePasting 'plain text" into a document is one of the most common ways of pasting information. Wouldn't it be great if this ...
Discover MoreSome people like to have Word replace previous information as they type; this is called "overtype mode." You can control ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2014-05-23 16:14:47
Tammy
Thank you so much for this tip... I can't tell you how many times this has happened and I had no idea what was going on. many many thanks!!!
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments