Candace wrote concerning a problem she periodically has with Word. It seems that when she copies one document into another she often loses the ability to bullet and number items--even the tools are "grayed out" on the toolbar. It seems that the condition is only applicable to some paragraphs in the document, and that there is no apparent difference between "good" and "bad" paragraphs when it comes to the problem.
Quite honestly, Candace, Word just shouldn't do this. Since Word is not designed to work that way (to selectively turn off the availability of the bullet and numbering tools), it is an indicator that perhaps something is wrong with the document. The first problem that springs to mind is that perhaps you have a Word virus on your system, but the symptoms do not sound like anything that has been reported in previous Word viruses. (Besides, Word viruses aren't always as benign as the symptoms you are experiencing.)
The other (and more likely) reason the problem is that somehow your Word document--or a template on which it is based--has become corrupted. Corrupted documents can exhibit themselves in any number of random and seemingly bizarre means. Exactly how you recover a corrupted document varies depending on whether you feel the document itself or the template is corrupted, and which version of Word you are using. To learn more information on this topic (and there is quite a bit), refer to the following page at the Word MVP site:
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/AppErrors/CorruptDoc.htm
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1544) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!
The AutoFormat feature of Word can be configured to make changes to a variety of conditions in your document. Here's how to ...
Discover MoreIf you have problems with strange fonts showing up when you paste information into a document, it is helpful to understand ...
Discover MoreWant to print your document only on odd-numbered pages in a printout? There are a couple of things you can try, as detailed ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-11-30 13:44:36
slane
It isn't a virus or a corrupted file. Those are the suggestions of someone who really doesn't know what they are talking about. Word's own formatting often interferes. This is happening to a lot of people. Candace should try removing all special formatting and see if that fixes the problem, first by using the styles tool, and if that doesn't work she could try copying all text then special pasting sans formatting, or pasting into an .rtf than back into a word document.
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 © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments