Changing the GoTo Default

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 30, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


Roger regularly uses GoTo (F5) to move to a bookmark. Since he's always jumping to bookmarks, he would like to make "Bookmark" the default selection in the dialog box. Instead, the top item in the list ("Page") is always the default. Roger wonders how he can change this default.

When you first press F5 to display the GoTo tab of the Find and Replace dialog box, Roger is right—the Page option is selected. However, in all the versions of Word that we tested, once you select Bookmark at the left side of the dialog box, then every other time you press F5 in the current Word session, your choice (Bookmark) is remembered and displayed as the default.

There is no way to change the default, in Word, for the first time you press F5. If changing the GoTo object is bothersome for the one time you need to do it during each Word session, then there is a round-about approach you can take. Instead of pressing F5, just press Shift+Ctrl+F5. This displays the Bookmark dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Bookmark dialog box.

At this point you can simply use the arrow keys to select a bookmark and then press Enter. The result is that you are taken to the bookmark location. This is actually a bit easier than using the GoTo tab of the Find and Replace dialog box to jump to a bookmark, as you don't need to mess with the drop-down list that is in that dialog box. (Normally, drop-down lists require the use of the mouse, and the Bookmark dialog box is more friendly to using the keyboard without the need to use the mouse.)

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11173) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

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

Moving Custom Formats to Number Formatting Categories

Moving your custom formats into a formatting category other than "custom" isn't something you can do in Excel. Here's ...

Discover More

Entering Dates without Separators

When doing data entry into a worksheet, you might want to enter dates without the need to type the separators that are ...

Discover More

Inserting a Page Number Field

The PAGE field is used to indicate the current page number on which the field occurs. If you want to add this field to ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Setting a VBA Variable from a Bookmark

Bookmarks are quite helpful in a document. You may want to transfer the contents of a bookmark into a macro variable in ...

Discover More

Reusing a Bookmark

Bookmarks in Word are just like bookmarks used in paper books, any given bookmark may be reused to mark a new location. ...

Discover More

Preserving Bookmarks During Replace Operations

When you do a search and replace operation in Word, it is possible that you could inadvertently wipe out a bookmark or ...

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 5 - 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


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.