Saving Grammar Preferences with a Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 26, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365

When Caitlin uses Word, she can configure how it marks grammar errors. When someone opens the same document on their system, the grammar is checked according to how they have their configuration set up. Caitlin wonders if there is a way to embed her grammar preferences within a document so that other recipients view the same grammar errors and recommendations that she sees.

Unfortunately, Caitlin, there is no way to do that. The reason is because the grammar checker settings are not, by design, stored with a document. The reason is because if you have two editors (I'll refer to them as Mary and Tom), Mary will have different editing preferences than Tom. She may follow a style guide in her work that Tom doesn't follow in his. Over time, the grammar settings on her system become "tailored" to how she does her editing, and when she opens a new document, she will want those settings applied to the document.

If grammar settings were stored with the document itself, however, then Mary would not be able to count on her editorial preferences being displayed by either the grammar or spell checker; the preferences would be those of a different person—probably the one who created the document.

The only feasible workaround would be to take screen shots of the document, open in Word on your system. These screen shots could then be shared with others to show what you are seeing on your system.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12607) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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...

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