Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 12, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
As I am formatting documents, there are many times I need a particular word or passage to be formatted in both bold and italics. Word includes tools (on the Home tab of the ribbon) that apply bold and italics, but not bold italics. I got tired of doing two clicks, so I created my own tool to apply both formats at once. The resulting macro can then be assigned to the Quick Access Toolbar.
The simplest way to do this is with a macro:
Sub BoldItalics1() Selection.Font.Bold = True Selection.Font.Italic = True End Sub
This macro turns on the attributes, but it doesn't do any toggling. In other words, you can't turn off bold italics by using the same macro, as you can with the individual Bold and Italics tools. This led to the "next generation" macro, which essentially checks to see the state of the selected text before making any changes:
Sub BoldItalics2() With Selection.Font If .Bold And .Italic Then .Bold = False .Italic = False Else .Bold = True .Italic = True End If End With End Sub
The macro checks to see if the Bold and Italic properties are set for the selection. If so, then it turns off those properties; if not, it sets them to True. The result is that your selection will be set either to "full" bold and italic or those properties will be turned off—you won't end up with the properties mixed.
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 (12122) 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: Applying Bold Italics.
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!
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