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: Locating Locked Fields.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 7, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Fields are very useful when working with a document—they allow you to place "dynamic" information in your documents. Sometimes you may want a field to remain static; to not change. You can do this by selecting the field and press Ctrl+F11. This "locks" the field so it does not update from its current value.
If you have a lot of fields in a document, and some of them are locked, you may want a way to quickly find out which ones are locked. Word has no special feature that allows you to search for locked fields, but you can create a macro that will search them out for you. The following macro, FindLocked, starts at the beginning of a document and finds locked fields. It selects each locked field, in turn, and asks you if you want to continue searching.
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:
Sub FindLocked()
Dim iField As Integer
Dim vResponse As Variant
For iField = 1 To ActiveDocument.Fields.Count
If ActiveDocument.Fields(iField).Locked Then
ActiveDocument.Fields(iField).Select
vResponse = MsgBox("Continue Searching?", vbYesNo)
If vResponse = vbNo Then Exit For
End If
Next iField
End Sub
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11026) 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: Locating Locked Fields.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
Fields can be a great way of adding small snippets of dynamic data to your documents. However, you may want to get rid of ...
Discover MoreWhen you add a cross-reference to your document, it provides a way to dynamically reference text in another location, ...
Discover MorePeople don't normally think of using fields to do any calculations. Even so, you can use fields to perform a simple ...
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.
Comments