Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Inserting the User's Initials.

Inserting the User's Initials

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 10, 2021)

Word automatically maintains several items of information about you, as a user. One such item is your initials, which can be changed in this manner:

Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 or a later version, display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
Make sure that General is selected at the left of the dialog box.
Modify the information in the Initials box, as desired.
Click on OK.

If you want to automatically insert your initials in your documents, you can follow these steps:

Position the insertion point where you want the initials inserted.
Make sure the Insert tab of the ribbon is selected.
In the Text group, click Quick Parts. You'll see a drop-down menu.
Choose Field. Word displays the Field dialog box.
In the Categories drop-down list, choose User Information. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Field dialog box.

In the Field Names list choose UserInitials.
Click on OK to close the dialog box and insert your field.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5954) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Inserting the User's Initials.

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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What is six less than 7?

2021-07-11 18:54:06

Michelle

Hi, regarding track changes and adding user initials - is it at all possible somehow to update the user initials AFTER the edits have been made?

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