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: Deleting an AutoText Building Block.

Deleting an AutoText Entry

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 21, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

There are several reasons why you would want to remove an AutoText entry. The biggest reason is that you just don't need the entry any more. For instance, you may have defined a group of AutoText entries for a particular job you were doing. When the job is over, it is best to remove the AutoText entries. To remove AutoText entries, follow these steps:

Select the AutoText option from the Insert menu, and then choose the AutoText option from the resulting submenu. Word displays the AutoText tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

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

Select the name of your AutoText from the name list. You can use the preview area to make sure you selected the right AutoText name.
Click on the Delete button and your entry vanishes.
Click on OK to close the AutoCorrect dialog box.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1105) 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: Deleting an AutoText Building Block.

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

Making Live URLs Into Normal Text

Convert those URLs into regular text! It's easy to do when you follow the steps in this tip.

Discover More

Printing Multiple Label Copies when Merging

Need to print more than one copy of mail-merge labels? There are a number of different approaches you can take to getting ...

Discover More

Finding Text in Text Boxes

Want to search for text that may appear in a text box rather than in a regular worksheet cell? You can only perform the ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

AutoText Limits

Are there limits to AutoText entries in Word? If you are having problems saving entries, it may not be due to limits ...

Discover More

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

AutoText Entries Don't Stick

AutoText can be a great tool, but it is of little worth if you can't get Word to remember the AutoText entries you ...

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 seven less than 7?

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.