Forcing the Properties Dialog Box to Appear

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated February 16, 2013)

2

Word automatically saves quite a bit of information about your document, and it allows you to specify and save even more. You normally can see the information saved with a document by choosing Properties from the File menu, which displays the Properties dialog box. The various tabs in the dialog box help organize the range of information kept about any particular document.

Word will, if you so direct it, display the Properties dialog box the first time you save a new document. You can control this feature by following these steps:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Save tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The Save tab of the Options dialog box.

  3. If you want to force word to display the Properties dialog box when first saving a document, make sure the Prompt for Document Properties check box is selected.
  4. Click on OK to close the Options dialog box.

Remember that this configuration of Word only displays the Properties dialog box the first time you save your document. (In this respect, the wording of the Prompt for Document Properties check box is a bit misleading.) If you later want to change properties, you must choose Properties from the File menu to display the dialog box. There is no way to force the Properties dialog box to appear every time you save your document, unless you write a macro that is invoked every time a document is saved.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1819) 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Checking Lock Status of Cells

When you first create a worksheet, all the cells in that worksheet are formatted as locked. As you unlock various cells on ...

Discover More

Quickly Copying Worksheets

Excel provides a little-known way to copy worksheets simply by clicking and dragging. Here's how to do it.

Discover More

Backing Up Your Custom Dictionaries

When you work with the spelling checker quite a bit, you eventually end up with a sizeable custom dictionary. You might want ...

Discover More

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!

More WordTips (menu)

Changing Stubborn Ruler Measurements

Can't get the Ruler to reflect the measurements you want? Chances are good that you are suffering from a glitch caused by how ...

Discover More

Disabling the Caps Lock Key

A few tips and tricks for working around the dratted Caps Lock button.

Discover More

Measurement of Choice Isn't Persistent

Normally, Word allows you to specify what measurement units you want used for the program; just choose Tools | Options | ...

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.

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

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}] 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 8 - 2?

2014-07-10 18:53:23

Liliana Hartwig

looking for a way to force users update the document properties before saving it as a new version, while at the same time making sure all users involved in the production of a particular document are always tracked.

Thanks

2013-07-19 07:18:12

freddy lemmens

Where is this in Word 2010?

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.

Newest Tips
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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.