Insert AutoText Tool Unavailable on Header and Footer Toolbar

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.

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

Zooming with the Keyboard

Excel doesn't provide a keyboard shortcut that allows you to zoom in or out on your workbook. It is easy, however, to ...

Discover More

Moving Building Blocks

Building blocks are a sort of "extended" AutoText introduced in Word 2007. As you work with building blocks, you may ...

Discover More

Deleting Regular Text between Bold Text

Word makes it easy, using Find and Replace, to replace or delete information based on its formatting. Whether this ...

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)

Paragraph Numbers in Headers or Footers

If your documents routinely use numbered paragraphs, you may want to place the number of the page's first paragraph in ...

Discover More

Creating Page Footers and Headers

Headers and footers can add a final, professional touch to your printed document. Here's the quick way to add the headers ...

Discover More

Inserting the Date in a Header or Footer

Need today's date in the header or footer of your document? Here's how to get it there easily.

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 7 + 3?

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.