Using AutoText

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 6, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Word includes a laborsaving feature that allows you to easily expand the text you are typing; this is referred to as AutoText. Text that you frequently type (or graphics) can be saved under a mnemonic name that is then used to refer to the text (or graphic) in the future. When you later type the name, or even part of the name, Word displays a "tip" that offers to replace what you are typing with the AutoText entry. Press F3 or Tab and the replacement is made.

To enable or disable the AutoText feature, follow these steps:

Select the AutoCorrect option from the Tools menu. This displays the AutoCorrect dialog box.
Click on the AutoText tab. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The AutoText tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box.

Select the option at the top of the dialog box to enable this feature, or deselect the option if you no longer want AutoText. (The option in the dialog box goes by several names, depending on the version of Word you are using. For instance, on some versions it is Show AutoComplete Tip for AutoText and Dates, and on others it is simply Show AutoComplete Suggestions.)
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1103) 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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Switching Headers in a Frozen Row

Excel allows you to "freeze" rows in your worksheet. What if you want the rows that are frozen to change as you scroll ...

Discover More

Only Showing the Maximum of Multiple Iterations

When you recalculate a worksheet, you can determine the maximum of a range of values. Over time, as those values change, ...

Discover More

Permanently Removing Blue Squiggly Underlines

Word's grammar checker can helpfully mark grammar goof-ups as you type. When you pass your document on to another person, ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

AutoText Unavailable in Headers and Footers

When you are creating headers and footers for your document, you might want to use some of your AutoText entries. What if ...

Discover More

Creating an AutoText Reference List

Need a fast, easy way to come up with a list of all the AutoText entries that you've defined? This tip presents two ways ...

Discover More

Saving AutoText Entries with Each Document

AutoText can be a great way to add consistent, common text to a document. Unfortunately, you cannot save AutoText entries ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

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}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) 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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is eight more than 9?

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.