Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. 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: Controlling Field Shading.
Normally, when you either select a field or move the insertion point into a field, Word highlights the entire field or result of the field. This is done so you can tell you are working in a field. Sometimes you may find this distracting, however. If you want to change the way that Word handles field shading, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.
There are three options you can specify in step 3. The default is When Selected, which simply means that the field is shaded when it is selected or you place the insertion point within the field. If you set the option to Never, then fields are never shaded, and (conversely) Always specifies that they are always shaded.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6107) applies to Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Controlling Field Shading.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
One of the pieces of information tracked by Word is when a document was first created. Here's how you can access that date ...
Discover MoreFields are meant to be dynamic, providing a result based on conditions at the time they are updated. You may want to convert ...
Discover MoreSimple page numbering is easy to add to your documents. More complex numbering (such as two numbering schemes in the same ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2015-02-11 09:07:08
Loua
Agreed, doesn't work
2014-10-16 11:53:57
Brand
It doesn't work. Are you sure this is for form fields? In useful Word 2003 this is by a command called Form Field Shading?
2014-05-22 03:23:57
CraigH
This Tip (#6107) only seems to work for the time that Word is running.
How can I get Word to remember that I ALWAYS want it to remember my choice of whether (and when) to show Field Shading?
(Similarly, can I get Word to remember to always show Table Gridlines?)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. 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: 
Comments