Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: Changing Dialog Box Pull-Down List Item Order.
Sue uses a lot of cross-references (tables, figures, headings, numbered items, etc.) in her documents. In the Cross Reference dialog box (References | Cross-reference) the top item in the Insert Reference To pull-down list is, invariably, not the one she uses. This requires her to go through an extra step to select what she wants before adding the cross-reference. For example, when she wants to add a cross-reference to a table or figure, the top item in the list (which is the default) is Entire Caption. However, her usual selection is Only Label and Number. Sue wonders if there is a way to change the order of the items in the Insert Reference To pull-down list within the Cross Reference dialog box.
While it is possible to customize some options in Word, the pull-down lists and information within dialog boxes are hard-coded into the program. This means that they cannot be changed through any routine configuration changes in Word. The only way around this is to bypass the dialog box completely by recording a macro that accomplishes what you want done. Then, when you later need to add your cross-reference you can use the macro to do the "heavy lifting" for you.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8022) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing Dialog Box Pull-Down List Item Order.
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 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
Ever had the experience of setting some configuration option in Word, only to have the option revert to a different setting ...
Discover MoreThe ribbon is the place where Word stores all the tools you need to work with your documents. What happens when the ribbon ...
Discover MoreHate to take your hands off the keyboard? Here's a handy keyboard shortcut you can use to display (or not display) the ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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, 2010, and 2013. 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