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: Changing Dialog Box Pull-Down List Item Order.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 8, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
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, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing Dialog Box Pull-Down List Item Order.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
Word provides a plethora of ways you can view your document. This tip looks at one of those views (Reading view) and ...
Discover MoreDialog boxes normally present information in a series of tabs. If you want to move from tab to tab without taking your ...
Discover MoreWhen you have multiple documents open at the same time, you need a way to control how those document windows appear on ...
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
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:
Comments