Deleting Multiple AutoText Entries

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 12, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Jussara needs a way to delete a number of different AutoText entries. She wonders if there is a way to easily delete multiple entries all at once.

This can be done rather easily using the Organizer. Follow these steps:

Choose Templates and Add-Ins from the Tools menu. Word displays the Templates and Add-ins dialog box.
Click the Organizer button. Word displays the Organizer tool.
Make sure the AutoText tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.) Note that the right side of the Organizer should contain information for the Normal.dot file. If it does, skip to step 7. If it does not, or if your AutoText entries are in a different template than Normal.dot, continue with the next step.

Figure 1. The AutoText tab of the Organizer.

Click the Close File button under the right side of the Organizer. This closes the information for the template.
Click Open File. Word displays a standard Open dialog box.
Use the controls in the dialog box to navigate to and open the template that contains your AutoText entries.
In the list of AutoText entries on the right side of the Organizer, click the first entry you want to delete.
Hold down the Ctrl key as you click on other AutoText entries you want deleted.
When you have selected all the entries you want to delete, click the Delete button.
You may be asked if you are sure you want to delete the entries; answer Yes.
Close the Organizer.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11273) 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

Replacing Links with Values

Need to get rid of the links in your workbook but save the values that were retrieved by those links? It could be easy or ...

Discover More

Formatted Dates Appear Differently on Different Systems

When you format a date in a specific manner, you may be surprised to see that the format changes when you open the ...

Discover More

Bumping Numbers in a Document

If your documents include words that contain numbers (such as a list of parts numbers) you may need a way to increment ...

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)

Backing Up Your AutoText Entries

Got a bunch of AutoText entries defined for your system? You'll undoubtedly want to back them up at some time. Here's how ...

Discover More

Deleting an AutoText Entry

At some point you may want to delete an AutoText entry you previously created. Here are the steps to follow.

Discover More

Editing AutoText Entries Directly

Editing AutoText entries, and particularly deleting them, can be cumbersome if you have a lot of changes to make. There ...

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 four less than 4?

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.