Time to Garden?

I was talking with one of my sisters the other day. She lives at a lower elevation than we do, so Spring has already started to arrive in her area. She sent pictures of daffodils and tulips that are starting to bloom. (These won't hit our area for another month!)

It is getting toward the time of year when I look around and think that gardening may be something that is worth doing. Not only are the blooming flowers and budding shrubs beautiful, but it is always great to eat our homegrown food in the fall. (My perpetual problem is that I think about how great gardening would be, but then I seldom take the steps to do it. Still, fresh fall food is awesome!)

If you are thinking about gardening this year, you may want to check out one of our sister websites:

https://gardening.tips.net

You'll find hundreds of ideas that you can apply, no matter the type of gardener you aspire to be. (Did you know you can create a garden on your balcony if you live in an apartment?) Check it out today.

—Allen

WordTips (ribbon) for 18 April 2026

Undoing a Typeface Change

When you allow other people to edit your document, you run the risk of them changing the formatting you previously applied. In this tip discover three different approaches that may help protect your formatting or get it back to what you want.

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(Thanks to Michael Avidan (MVP), Dick Margulis, Cleveland Thornton, Jacques Raubenheimer, Gary Robinson, and Robert Kovac for contributing to this tip.)

Opening a Backup File

If you have Word configured to save backup copies of your document, you may want to actually load one of those copies at some point. Here's the easy way to load the file.

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Discover the Power of Styles

The real power behind formatting documents in Word is wielded through styles. Discover how to use styles and you can format documents faster, easier, and more consistently than ever before. Here's the way to unlock the secret.

Indexing Based on a Range of Letters

Word provides many options for creating indexes. One option allows you to specify that the index contain only entries that begin with a range of letters that you define.

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Copying Custom Properties

You can add custom properties to a document to help with all sorts of file management tasks. If you want to copy these custom properties from one document to another, you'll need to rely on a macro like the one presented in this tip.

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WordTips YouTube Channel

Do you like to learn visually? Make sure you check out the WordTips YouTube channel. New videos are added weekly. (I typically try to add them on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

New video: Restoring a Keyboard Shortcut
Word uses keyboard shortcuts for all sorts of tasks. Sometimes you may create a shortcut that messes up one of the other shortcuts you really need to keep. This tip explains how you can "undo" a shortcut key assignment so that everything gets back to normal.

New video: Getting the Traditional Open Dialog Box
When you attempt to open a file in Word, chances are good that you will first have to pass through what is called the Backstage area. If that side trip bugs you, follow the steps in this Quick Tip to take a direct route to the traditional Open dialog box.

Help Wanted

This section is for those having problems making Word behave. If Word is giving you fits, feel free to submit your own Help Wanted question.

If you have a solution for the problems below, click the link after the problem to send us your answer. (All responses become the sole property of Sharon Parq Associates, Inc., and can be used in any way deemed appropriate.) If your response is used in a future issue, you will be credited for your contribution to the answer.

Automatically Adding a Word to the AutoCorrect List

Years ago, when you right-clicked on a word that was highlighted as a problematic spelling, the Context menu offered the chance to add the mistyped word to the AutoCorrect list with its correction. That option is gone; now you have to add it manually. I continue to mistype a few common words. Is there a way to automatically add them to my AutoCorrect list?
—Paul Davies (provide an answer for this Help Wanted question)

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