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: Backing Up Your Custom Dictionaries.

Backing Up Your Custom Dictionaries

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 11, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


The Word spell-check program allows you to create a number of custom dictionaries for your use. At some time you may want to copy the custom dictionaries, either for a personal backup or to transfer to a different computer.

The default custom dictionary used by Word is Custom.dic. However, custom dictionaries can be saved under any number of different names. To be safest, you will want to use Find File, in Windows, to look for any file with the DIC file name extension. You can then copy these files to a memory stick or any storage media you prefer.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1036) 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: Backing Up Your Custom Dictionaries.

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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