Easily Changing Username and Initials

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 15, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


When Damodara reviews (and edits) documents, he uses Track Changes. He changes usernames and initials often, in order to differentiate his edits. Changing the usernames and initials is a pain, so Damodara is wondering if there is a way to more easily select from among his preferred usernames as he is doing his editing.

There isn't anything built into Word to facilitate this task, but it would be relatively easy to do the necessary changes in a macro. Basically you just need to change the .UserName and .UserInitials properties of the Application object.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, I'll share here a technique detailed at Michael Schuler's blog:

https://bergerplusschuler.com/2019/08/10/swapping-user-names/

The macro is rather short, with most of the code being devoted to setting variables that cycle through four different usernames and initials. The macro could be easily modified with just about any names desired, and it would be trivial to break it down into four separate macros, one for each username/initial pair. Here's an example:

Sub SetUser1()
    Application.UserName = "John Davis"
    Application.UserInitials = "JD"
End Sub

The macro (or macros) could be assigned to shortcut keys or added to the ribbon to easily choose which username and initials you wanted to use.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12808) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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

Finding Cells Filled with a Particular Color

Do you need to find cells that are formatted with a particular color? How you accomplish this task depends on your ...

Discover More

Calculating the First Business Day of the Month

Want to know which day of the month is the first business day? There are a few ways you can check to make sure the date ...

Discover More

Pictures Move on their Own

Insert some pictures into a document and you may be in for a surprise--they don't necessarily stay where you put them. ...

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)

Using Go To with a Percentage

Need to jump a certain percentage of the way through a document? You can do it using the familiar Go To tab of the Find ...

Discover More

Adding Hyphens to Phrases

Editing text to turn regular words into hyphenated phrases can be a real bother. The chore can become a breeze if you ...

Discover More

Finding an Unknown Character

Sometimes, the characters that appear in a document can be hard to figure out, especially if the document came from ...

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 + 7?

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.