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: Importing AutoCorrect Entries.

Importing AutoCorrect Entries

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 6, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Word's AutoCorrect feature can be helpful when you are writing, as it can replace your "mistypes" with what you really intended in the first place. AutoCorrect comes already configured with many of the common typing mistakes, but to make the tool truly helpful you need to add your own AutoCorrect entries that reflect your personal typing habits.

The normal way to add AutoCorrect entries is to enter them in, one at a time, using AutoCorrect tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box (Tools | AutoCorrect). What if you want to import quite a few AutoCorrect entries, rather than typing them in? Useful information regarding exporting and importing AutoCorrect entries is located here, at the Word MVP site:

http://wordmvp.com/FAQs/Customization/ExportAutocorrect.htm

As you can tell from the site, the bottom line is that there is no intrinsic function within Word that allows you to import AutoCorrect entries. Thus, you are left to using a macro to do the work. The following is one such macro, which will import entries and place them directly in the AutoCorrect list.

Sub AddToTheAutoCorrectList()
    Dim r As Range, r1 As Range
    Dim par As Paragraph, bo As Boolean
    Dim pars As Paragraphs
    Dim ACE As AutoCorrectEntry
    Dim ACEs As AutoCorrectEntries
    Dim ActD As Document

    Set ActD = ActiveDocument
    Set pars = ActD.Paragraphs
    Set r1 = Selection.Range
    Set r = Selection.Range
    Set ACEs = Application.AutoCorrect.Entries

    On Error Resume Next
    For Each par In pars
        If par.Range.End = ActD.Content.End Then Exit Sub
        r1.Start = par.Range.Start
        r1.End = r1.Start
        r1.MoveEndUntil vbTab
        r.Start = r1.End + 1
        r.End = par.Range.End - 1
        If Len(r1.Text) > 0 Or Len(r.Text) > 0 Then
            If Len(ACEs(r1.Text).Value) > 0 Then
                bo = Repl(ACEs, r, r1)
            Else
                bo = True
            End If
            If bo Then ACEs.Add r1.Text, r.Text
        End If
    Next
End Sub
Private Function Repl(a As AutoCorrectEntries, _
  r As Range, r1 As Range) As Boolean
    If a(r1.Text).Value <> r.Text Then
        Repl = MsgBox("To replace " & UCase(a(r1.Text).Value) & _
          " with " & UCase(r.Text) & " click OK", vbYesNo + _
          vbQuestion, "REPLACE ENTRY?") = vbYes
    End If
End Function

To use the macro, just make sure that you place one entry per paragraph in a document. (There should be nothing else in the document.) The "Replace" portion of the entry should be separated from the "With" portion by a tab character. If the macro encounters a proposed AutoCorrect entry that will overwrite an existing entry, you are asked if you want to make the change.

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 (1732) 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: Importing AutoCorrect Entries.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Professional Looking Fractions

Professional typesetting has, in many ways, spoiled us. One way this is evident is in the preference we show for making ...

Discover More

Non-Printing Hyperlinks

Karen is having problems getting hyperlinks to print in a document on her home computer. There are only a limited number ...

Discover More

Creating Two-Line Custom Formats

Creating custom formats is a very powerful way to display information exactly as you want it to appear. Most custom ...

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)

Enforcing a Do-Not-Use Word List

Got a list of words you don't want to appear in your documents? There are a number of ways that you can make sure they ...

Discover More

How Word Handles Abbreviations

Abbreviations appear all over the place in our society. If you want to understand how Word recognizes them (which it has ...

Discover More

Toggling AutoCorrect Settings

If you need to turn AutoCorrect on or off, there is no built-in way to easily do it in Word. You can create your own ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is 6 - 1?

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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.