Johnny uses Draft view quite often. When he does, he always displays the style area at the left of the page. Johnny wonders if there is a way to change the font used to display the style names in the style area.
Many Word users are not familiar with the style area that Johnny likes to use. It has been available since the earliest days of Word. The reason that many aren't familiar with it, however, is because it is only available when working in either Draft or Outline views, and then only if you configure Word to display it. To display the style area, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.
Now, when you edit in Draft or Outline views, you'll see a small area at the left side of the screen that displays the name of the style applied to each paragraph in the document. Once displayed, you can adjust the width of the style area by hovering the mouse over the vertical line that divides the style area from the main document. Click the line and drag it left or right and then release the mouse when the style area is the width you want. (See Figure 2.)
Figure 2. The style area is visible at the left side of the document.
It is the style names, shown in the style area, for which Johnny wants to change the font. Unfortunately, these cannot be changed. The font used for the style name is set by Word, although you have an indirect control over the size of the font. If you change to a zoom factor of under 100%, the size of the font in the style area is made proportionally smaller. If you change to a zoom factor over 100%, the size doesn't change; it maxes out at 100%.
There is one thing you could try, in addition to using the style area. Display the Styles pane at the left of the document by clicking the small icon at the bottom-right corner of the Styles group, on the Home tab of the ribbon. Once the Styles pane is displayed, notice that there is a checkbox at the bottom of the pane named Show Preview. If you select this option, then Word displays the styles in the pane using an approximation of what the style looks like in your document. (See Figure 3.)
Figure 3. Viewing the Styles pane with Show Preview selected.
By using the style area in conjunction with the Styles pane, you may have a better idea of which styles are in use in your document.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13462) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016.
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!
Want to add lots of tools to your Quick Access Toolbar? Word allows you to do so, seemingly without limit. This tip ...
Discover MoreThe Insert key can be used for different purposes, depending on how you configure the program. This tip explains those ...
Discover MoreAll those little ScreenTips bug you when moving through the toolbars and ribbons of Word? You can turn them off by ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-03-27 13:18:57
Nicola
At the top of this page, it says Style Area Font. I thought that meant the size of the words displayed in the Style Area Pane, not the size of the pane itself. I need to increase the font size of the styles listed in the Pane. I have a large monitor, 27", but less than great eyesight even with glasses. I can increase the size of my document to see all the text there, but the Style Area Pane on the left and the Styles Pane on the right both still have tiny text. I need to increase the size of the font in both those panes. How do I do that?
2016-09-06 08:22:39
Steve
To tell which style you are in, I find it even better to put back the Style window that MS took out. Go to File Options, Customize Ribbon, All Commands, browse to first Style in list of commands. Now where ever you put your cursor you'll immediately see which style is assigned to that paragraph.
2016-09-05 09:26:53
Ted
It does work in Word 2016, prvovided that after setting width as described, you select the View tab in the ribon, then click Draft in the Views section.
2016-09-04 23:33:54
This tip doesn't work for me--it doesn't display the small column on the left in Word 2016.
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2021 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments