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: Using the Style Area.

Using the Style Area

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 5, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


7

Word can show you what the style names are for all paragraphs in your document. This is useful if you are editing a document and need to see if the appropriate styles have been applied. To reveal styles on the left side of the screen, follow these steps:

  1. 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.)
  2. At the left side of the dialog box click Advanced.
  3. Scroll through the available options until you see the Display area. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.

  5. Set the Style Area Pane Width in Draft and Outline Views field to a value other than 0. (A good starting point is .5, which represents one-half inch.)
  6. Click on OK to close the dialog box.

Now, whenever you switch to either Draft or Outline views (using the controls on the status bar is a good way to do this if you are using Word 2007 or Word 2010) you'll notice the style area at the left side of the screen. The style area is not visible in any other view you might use.

Notice that the style assigned to each paragraph is now visible within the style area. If you want to change the width of the style area at this point, you can do so by using the mouse. Simply click on the vertical line that sets off the style area and drag it left or right.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8024) 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: Using the Style Area.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Creating Dependent Drop-Lists

Drop-down lists are handy in an Excel worksheet, and you they can be even more handy if a selection in one drop-down ...

Discover More

Differing Column Widths when Pasting

When you move information from one table to another, you may be faced with the problem of making that information fit ...

Discover More

Repeating Table Captions with Modifications

Captions can be a great addition to items in your document such as figures and tables. If you want modifications in those ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Word's Native Measurement Unit

Word allows you to specify distances using a number of different measurement units. Figuring out how those measurement ...

Discover More

Making Word Remember My Settings

Ever had the experience of setting some configuration option in Word, only to have the option revert to a different ...

Discover More

Zooming with the Keyboard

Want to zoom in and out without the need to using the ribbon tools? You can create your own handy macros that do the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 3 + 2?

2025-05-12 11:27:10

Paul Stregevsky

robert nerbovig, you need to open your Style pane, and then, either
- Select Options... (see Figure 1 below) , and then, in Select Styls to show, select either In use, In current document, or All styles (see Figure 2 below) ;
OR
- Select the third "A" button, Manage Styles (see Figure 3 below) , and either clear Show recommended styles only or, one by one, select each missing style and then select Show [{fig}] .

Sorry for the telegraphic figure captions; I was limited to 3 figures, and each caption was limited to 70 characters.

Figure 1. In the Style pane, select Options ...

Figure 2. In Options ... Select styles to show, select anything but Recommended.

Figure 3. In Manage Styles, clear Show Rec. styles only, or select/show each


2025-05-11 12:08:23

robert nerbovig

I am trying to edit a screenplay. In the styles window, I see action, author, character, but none of the other styles like dialog. Please help..thanks...bob


2024-06-06 03:53:05

Barry

A handy Tip Allen, as always, but... the tip from Ken Endacott, below is better - QAT shows the currently applied Style and the drop-down allows easy access to all styles to make changes.


2019-11-20 19:11:15

Helen

I really would like to use the style area pane. I am trying to find the Word Options on Word 16.31. I'm running it on a Mac, and Options does not come up under File--I'm assuming this is because it's running on a Mac, but maybe there's something else I need to know... Can you help?

Thanks!


2019-09-12 03:10:01

Ken Endacott

The style pane is only visible in draft mode and furthermore only shows the style setting of the paragraph even though parts of the paragraph may have character styles applied. It is worthwhile to have a style tool on the Quick Access Ribbon (QAT) to show in all view modes the style of the text at the cursor position. It can be placed on the QAT by right clicking the QAT, selecting Customize Quick Action Toolbar and selecting ‘Style’ from the list of commands.


2019-09-11 13:36:00

Felicia

I lost the style area when my computer was upgraded. Thank you so much!


2019-04-29 11:57:04

Joyce Dixon

I just joined the service and am a novice with Word. Is there any way to get previously printed tips?


This Site

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.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.