Understanding the Organizer

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 19, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Word provides the ability to work with templates, which in turn allow you to associate styles, macros, and AutoText entries with a particular document. In versions of Word prior to Word 2007, templates can also be used to modify the appearance of toolbars, buttons, and menus.

As you can tell, templates are very powerful and they provide a great deal of flexibility to Word. Sometimes, however, it can be a real pain to get a good "overall" view of what you have available in a particular template or even in a document.

This is where the Organizer comes into play. Word provides the Organizer (a deceptively simple name) to provide a degree of control over what customization elements are included in a template or a document. While you don't use the Organizer to create any of these elements, you can use it to copy them from one template or document to another, or to delete them completely.

Exactly what you can do with the Organizer depends on the version of Word you are using. The Organizer can be used to manage styles, toolbars, AutoText, and macros.

There are several different ways you can start the Organizer:

Choose Style from the Format menu. This displays the Style dialog box, on which you should click the Organizer button.
Choose Macro from the Tools menu, and then Macros from the resulting submenu. This displays the Macros dialog box. Click on the Organizer button.
Choose Templates and Add-ins from the Tools menu. This displays the Templates and Add-ins dialog box, on which you should click the Organizer button.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1350) 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

Printing Comments

After adding comments to a document you may want to print them later. Word provides a variety of ways you can print the ...

Discover More

Excel Won't Display Different Windows in the Taskbar

If you want individual Taskbar buttons for each open Excel workbook but cannot seem to get those buttons, the culprit ...

Discover More

Importing Custom Lists

Custom lists are handy ways to enter recurring data in a worksheet. Here's how you can import your own custom lists from ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (menu)

Changing the Office Assistant

How to change the Office Assistant character in Word.

Discover More

Using the Organizer to Manage Toolbars

The Organizer is a great tool for managing different elements that can be stored in documents and templates. This tip ...

Discover More

Ignoring Punctuation in Names

If you have a word that includes punctuation as part of the word itself, then you may be frustrated by how Word treats ...

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 2 + 2?

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.