Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 11, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Sherman has run into a problem when creating headers or footers. He often use the "Insert AutoText" tool on the Header and Footer toolbar, but for some strange reason the "Insert AutoText" tool has become greyed out so that he can no longer select it.
Believe it or not, this behavior is normal in versions of Word that use the Header and Footer toolbar. It seems that the availability of the tool is dependent upon the availability of AutoText entries that use the style assigned to your header or footer.
One of the first things you should do is to check the style of the paragraph used for your header or footer. If they use styles other than the default Header or Footer styles, then you may want to reapply the Header or Footer styles, as appropriate. This may be all that is necessary to make the "Insert AutoText" tool again available.
If this does not work, or if you don't want to use the Header or Footer styles, then remember that you can always use Insert | AutoText | AutoText to insert any AutoText entries in a way that is not dependent on styles in the header or footer.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3355) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
Need to adjust all the footers or headers in a document that uses lots of them? It's easy to do if you understand how the ...
Discover MoreA common way to set up a header is to have it refer to the first occurrence of a heading on the page. (Think how the ...
Discover MoreWhen working with existing documents, you may need to delete a header or footer previously created. Here's how you can do ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments