Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 26, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365
Maybe I'm one of those compulsive-obsessive types, but I always go through my documents to make sure there are no trailing spaces at the end of a paragraph. This makes the document neater and smaller. If you format ASCII files or documents you receive from other people, you will need to search for trailing spaces and remove them as you format the file for Word. It can get a bit tricker if you have dangling tab characters at the end of some paragraphs.
I use a macro to take care of such detritus in the document. The following macro, StripSpaces, takes out all spaces and trailing tabs before paragraph marks and manual line breaks throughout your document.
Sub StripSpaces() Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory Selection.Find.ClearFormatting Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting With Selection.Find .Text = "^w^p" .Replacement.Text = "^p" .Forward = True .Wrap = wdFindContinue .Format = False .MatchWholeWord = False .MatchWildcards = False End With Selection.Find.Execute Selection.Find.Text = "^w^l" Selection.Find.Replacement.Text = "^l" Selection.Find.Execute End Sub
Assign the macro to a shortcut key or to the Quick Access Toolbar, and you can get rid of those extra spaces and tabs lickety-split.
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 (13376) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Strip Trailing Spaces.
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!
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 MoreMacros allow you to easily extend what you can do with Word. If you have a common editing task, that task can often be ...
Discover MoreMy fat fingers sometimes result in typing letters in the wrong order. Here's a quick tool that allows you to easily ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-03-28 11:48:27
Kathy
Thank you! I always do this with "find and replace." Never thought to make it into a macro and shortcut key for even faster clean-up
!
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