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: Making Common Information Accessible.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 7, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
You may have a lot of common information that needs to appear in many different documents. For instance, you may need your address, phone number, or similar information to appear in lots of different documents. The problem is that addresses, phone numbers, and other information can frequently change. Thus, if you want to change this common information in a bunch of files, you must resort to making tedious changes, or you must use a macro or third-party solution.
One way to potentially save time when including common information in a file is to store the common items in their own file and bookmark them. Then, in the main document files you can use the INCLUDETEXT field to refer to the bookmarked item. The field, when it is updated, automatically grabs the current values of the bookmarked items and inserts them in the document. This approach allows you to update the address, phone number, or what-have-you in the single file, and have the change propagate through your other documents.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3791) 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: Making Common Information Accessible.
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 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!
If you try to add a quote mark or a backslash as part of a field parameter or switch, you may be surprised at what you ...
Discover MoreWord allows you to protect documents that are intended to be used as forms. If you want to convert the form responses ...
Discover MoreWhen merging documents, you may want to include some fields in the merged documents. For some fields this is impossible, ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2023-10-09 09:52:05
Paul Hanson
For anyone reading this tip, I want to add my endorsement for using the INCLUDETEXT field. My main project is Disaster Recovery Documentation and I have 2339 Word files for the SMEs to complete. I store standard headings in a central file and within the 2339 Word files, I have used the INCLUDETEXT field to locate the standard heading in that central file.
I also have two macros that I use frequently. The first macro sets the Title and Subject fields to the Word file name and the second macro refreshes all fields within all Word files in a folder. It's pretty awesome!
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.
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:
Comments