Using the Object Browser

I cannot locate an Object Browser in Office 365 Word, but do find it in Word 2003.

What I do is search for a term and then dismiss the search box and use the Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn keys. To cycle through footnotes, etc., I use the GoTo command (^G) and then select, say, footnotes, and click next. Then when I dismiss the dialog the Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn keys will cycle through the objects of that type until I move using another type (typically a search result).

This behavior was part of the old Object Browser functionality and it still remains. In fact I never used those buttons under the scroll bar--they were too tiny and finicky to select--so I didn't even notice they were missing for a long time.

Here is a way to place on a ribbon the Object Browser commands that were removed from Word versions after 2010.

1. Create a document named for example “Object Browser Replacement”

2. Add macros as follows:

Sub TableNext()
With Application.Browser
.Target = wdBrowseTable
.Next
End With
End Sub

Sub TablePrevious()
With Application.Browser
.Target = wdBrowseTable
.Previous
End With
End Sub

Sub GraphicNext()
With Application.Browser
.Target = wdBrowseGraphic
.Next
End With
End Sub

Sub GraphicPrevious()
With Application.Browser
.Target = wdBrowseGraphic
.Previous
End With
End Sub

3. Add other macros for the following targets:

wdBrowseComment Places insertion point before next or previous comment.
wdBrowseEdit Places insertion point before next or previous edit.
wdBrowseEndnote Places insertion point before next or previous endnote.
wdBrowseField Places insertion point before next or previous browsefield.
wdBrowseFind Places insertion point before next or previous browsefield.
wdBrowseFootnote Places insertion point before next or previous footnote.
wdBrowseGoTo Places insertion point before next or previous GoTo item.
wdBrowseGraphic Places insertion point before next or previous graphic.
wdBrowseHeading Places insertion point before next or previous heading.
wdBrowsePage Places insertion point before next or previous page.
wdBrowseSection Places insertion point before next or previous section.
wdBrowseTable Places insertion point before next or previous table.

4. Save as a template file with the extension .dotm

5. Close Word and copy the file into the STARTUP folder. See tip T004632

6 Open Word and place the individual macros into a custom group in the desired ribbon. See tip T001879.

These macros open up the possibility to add code to enhance the Object Browser commands. For example the BrowseGraphics command places the cursor at the anchor point of the graphic. An enhanced command would select the graphic.

Note that this extremely useful feature of Word (the object browser) was removed from Word 2016. Crazy! It is a feature that I used to use about once every five minutes while editing document. Cannot understand why MS removed it. The Internet is full of people complaining about MS removing the object browser.

i was unable to find the "ball' tool that you were referring to.

Find and Replace > Go To (Ctrl-G) is a good option and provides 13 items: Page, Section, Line, Bookmark, Comment, Footnote, Endnote, Field, Table, Graphic, Equation, Object, and Heading. Once one of the items has been selected, the dialog can be closed and Ctrl-Pg Down or Ctrl-Page Up can be used to navigate forwards and backwards.

How can we do the Object browser activities in Word 2016?

David,

This particular tip is (as you will note at the very top and very bottom of the tip) only for Word 2007 and Word 2010. It will not work for your version. (If it did work for your version, it would be noted in those places.)

The reason it will not work for your version is because Microsoft removed the Object Browser beginning with Word 2013 -- it is no longer there.

Read through the comments below and you'll find some ideas that may help you a bit.

-Allen

Hi Allen

I'm using the Office 365 Business Edition 64 bit version 1905 (Build 11629.20196) but I cannot see the tools you mention below the vertical sidebar at the right-hand side. Is this a feature that must be switched on in the Options - although I can't see anything relevant?

This DOES NOT WORK for Word in Office 365 2019. How do we find the OBJECT BROWSER in the latest versions? The Search Bar (help) is no help.

I use Office 365 Pro Plus and I cannot seem to find this set of tools. Does it only work if a document exceeds a certain size? I did find a similar tool in the Navigation Pane and am sending a screen shot (see Figure 1 below) .

The Browse Object button has disappeared from Word 2016, but this page Shows a couple of reasonably good workarounds:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_word-mso_windows8-mso_2013_release/cant-find-select-browse-object-in-word-2013/a29c5ca5-9897-4f14-a553-55b256791f5f

I meant to say 'right scrollbar' in my comment below.

I've just upgraded from MS Office 2010 to 2016. I cannot believe that they have discontinued the object browser at the bottom of the left scrollbar. I edit large complex documents and constantly used the object browser for searching. It took up hardly any space on the screen. I did the initial search with ctrl F and subsequent searches using the object browser. It seems like the people who update Office do not consult with users like me on our needs. I estimate that I used this feature about once every 5 minutes while editing large complex documents.

The other thing that really sucks in Office 2016 is that the theme colour for Word and Outlook are now the same (dark blue) and there is no way of changing it. I constantly move between the 2 programmes on the taskbar shortcuts and now have to think twice when doing this as the colours are now the same.

The object browser was "new & improved" away in Word 2013.

In 2010 the 3 buttons, top to bottom, are "Browse Previous", "Select Browse Object" and "Browse next".

The first and last are easy to recreate by adding them to the QAT. Look in All commands for those 2 specific command names (listed above).

To select object types you will have to create macros for each type. Or you can create a single macro that accepts user input to define the object type to select. See the macros below for examples of how to do that.

I've used Word for a number of years, the last being 2010. I used Object Browser, particularly "by edits," repeatedly. My newest computer with Windows 10 has 2016. Among the many issues I have with both is the disappearance of the Object Browser. It just isn't there on the scroll bar. Is there anything to compare with it in 2016? Shift+F5 doesn't solve the problem.
Thanks

With floating graphics the browser places the insertion point at the graphic's anchor point which can be confusing if the graphic is offset from its anchor, for example is anchored to the page. If the macro is to further process the graphic it is necessary to select it and set a shape object.
The following macro finds the next graphic, determines if it is floating or inline and then selects it. If more than one floating graphic is anchored at the same point then only the first is selected. It requires another 30 lines of code to correctly step through multiple graphics at the one anchor. The macro only finds graphics in the body of the document.

Sub FindNextGraphic()
Dim aShape As Shape
Application.Browser.Target = wdBrowseGraphic
Application.Browser.Next
Selection.MoveStart unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=-1
Selection.MoveEnd unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
If Selection.Range.ShapeRange.Count > 0 Then
Set aShape = Selection.Range.ShapeRange(1)
Selection.Collapse
aShape.Select
Else
If Selection.Range.InlineShapes.Count > 0 Then
Selection.Range.InlineShapes(1).Select
Else
MsgBox "No shape found"
End If
End If
End Sub

With tables the macro code is simpler because the browser places the insertion point in the first cell of the table. The following macro finds the next table in the document, selects the whole table and sets a Table object that can be used to determine the table's parameters.

Sub FindNextTable()
Dim aTable As Table
Application.Browser.Target = wdBrowseTable
Application.Browser.Next
Set aTable = Selection.Range.Tables(1)
aTable.Select
End Sub

Yes, there is the rest of the list of predefined target constants

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.wdbrowsetarget%28v=office.11%29.aspx

Member name Description:
wdBrowseComment Places insertion point before next or previous comment.

wdBrowseEdit Places insertion point before next or previous edit.

wdBrowseEndnote Places insertion point before next or previous endnote.

wdBrowseField Places insertion point before next or previous browsefield.

wdBrowseFind Places insertion point before next or previous browsefind.

wdBrowseFootnote Places insertion point before next or previous footnote.

wdBrowseGoTo Places insertion point before next or previous GoTo item.

wdBrowseGraphic Places insertion point before next or previous graphic.

wdBrowseHeading Places insertion point before next or previous heading.

wdBrowsePage Places insertion point before next or previous page.

wdBrowseSection Places insertion point before next or previous section.

wdBrowseTable Places insertion point before next or previous table.

The browser commands are still available in Word 2013 and 2016 even though they have been removed from the scroll bar. They can also be accessed via a macro. For example to browse by table in a forward direction the macro code is:

Application.Browser.Target = wdBrowseTable
Application.Browser.Next

A browser macro would have the advantage that it could be programmed to select the object rather than just place the cursor at the anchor point. The macro could be placed on a toolbar for easy access.

The object browser was "new & improved" out of Word 2013 (and 2016).

In July 2016 MS "declined" a suggestion in the UserVoice to bring it back:
https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9394713-bring-back-the-object-browser

Browse by graphic is a unique way to step through graphics (pictures and shapes) in the order that they appear in the document irrespective of whether they are floating or inline.

However, the browser does not select the graphic but moves the cursor to the anchor point of a floating graphic or to immediately precede an inline picture. There can be some confusion as to which floating graphic is referenced if the graphic is offset from its anchor or several graphics are anchored to the same point.










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Hello & Good Afternoon....

Respected Sir,
Recently I have join the Head Office hence my work is change now. I need more knowledge about Word, Excel, Power point program. Would u like to help me to improve my Office skill.
Thank you...

Browse object were moved to the Navigation Pane (view tab, Show group, Navigation Pane). You'll find that when you click the drop down at the end of the Search field you have most I(but not all) of the old options.

The object browser seems to have been deleted completely from 2013. I could not even find it in the command list.

An alternative is to create macros and put them in the QAT, ie

Sub aObjectSelect()
'
' aObjectSelect Macro
'
'
Application.Browser.Target = wdBrowsePage
Application.Browser.Next
End Sub


Here is the whole list of predefined target values:
WdBrowseTarget Enumeration
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.wdbrowsetarget%28v=office.11%29.aspx

Member name Description
wdBrowseComment Places insertion point before next or previous comment.
wdBrowseEdit Places insertion point before next or previous edit.
wdBrowseEndnote Places insertion point before next or previous endnote.
wdBrowseField Places insertion point before next or previous browsefield.
wdBrowseFind Places insertion point before next or previous browsefind.
wdBrowseFootnote Places insertion point before next or previous footnote.
wdBrowseGoTo Places insertion point before next or previous GoTo item.
wdBrowseGraphic Places insertion point before next or previous graphic.
wdBrowseHeading Places insertion point before next or previous heading.
wdBrowsePage Places insertion point before next or previous page.
wdBrowseSection Places insertion point before next or previous section.
wdBrowseTable Places insertion point before next or previous table.

I haven't been able to find the object browser in Word 2013. After using Search & Replace, I wanted to use Crtl+Page Down to move down a couple pages but Ctrl+Page Down cycled through my last search. My solution was to add the Go To Next Page button to the QAT. After clicking the button in the QAT once, I could use Ctrl+Page down to browse by page. Is the Browser Button available in Word 2013 -- it would be more useful.

Works perfectly and this is one I didn't know about - makes editing a whole lot easier

Where is the object browser in Word 2013?

All the above having been said and tried, it DOES NOT WORK!!!! Feature stopped working last week and I have been unable to restore it in spite of reinstalling from the original MSOffice 2007 CD.