Tackling Macros

You should have received, on Wednesday morning, a note about my Beginning Word Macros Master Class course. You see, I'm opening the doors to the class for the first time this year, which means I'm currently accepting new students. (I only open the doors to this course, at most, a couple of times each year.)

If you take a look at any issue of WordTips (this one included), you'll find references to macros. I provide, in many tips, macros that can accomplish tasks that cannot normally be done with Word. That is the power of macros--they speed up your work, increase your accuracy, and extend what you can do with the program.

Of course, this is only true if you know how to use and create macros. That's the purpose of the Beginning Word Macros Master Class course--to provide the instruction you need to finally comprehend macros and take your usage of Word to the "next level," so to speak. If you act now, you can finally discover how to master macros in Word.

Anyway, I hope you will take a moment to check out the course. You can find complete info here:

https://macrosmasterclass.com/discover-how-to-supercharge-word/

For the next few days (through end of day on Wednesday) you can register for the course for 20% off the regular price. Full information is at that link, so make sure you check it out.

—Allen
     

WordTips (ribbon) for 2 August 2025

Word is a great word processor
Using an Older Font with Word

If you are using older custom fonts with newer versions of Word, you may notice a few quirks. This tip can help you figure out if there is a problem with the older font and, if so, what you can do to correct the problem.

Read this tip »

(Thanks to John Walker, Michael Avidan (MVP), and Dick Margulis for contributing to this tip.)

 
Styles
Defining Styles

Styles are a powerful component of Word. You use them to determine the way that your text should appear. This tip explains how you can define styles or modify existing styles.

Read this tip »

 
Tired of Chasing Down Acronyms?

PerfectIt does more than spot undefined acronyms. It checks that each acronym is introduced, used consistently, and only defined once. It even flags when definitions come after the acronym. No more hunting through pages to get it right. Try PerfectIt free - no credit card details required.

 
Word is a great word processor
Formatting Currency

If you need to format a number so that it appears as currency, it is not as easy to do in Word as it is in Excel. You can use the technique introduced in this tip (utilizing fields) to control exactly how you want that number displayed.

Read this tip »

 
Email
Breaking Lines in E-mail

If you are creating an e-mail in Word, or are creating text that you will paste into an e-mail document, you may want to limit the length of each line of that text. This is easy to manually do in short messages, but much more difficult and time consuming in longer messages. The handy macro in this tip can do the tedious work for you, rendering a plain text message with each line no longer than a specific length.

Read this tip »

     

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: Finding Camel-Case Words
If you need to find words that mix uppercase and lowercase characters together, you'll appreciate this Quick Tip. Here I show how to use a wildcard search to find just about any mixture you may want.

 

New video: Using Focus Mode
Do you find yourself constantly distracted by notifications, toolbars, and the endless formatting options in Word? Focus mode strips away everything but your words and ideas, creating a clean, distraction-free environment that can boost your productivity. In this Quick Tip I show you how you can start using Focus mode today.

 
     

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.

 
Removing an Irritating Comment Icon

When I select some text either by clicking and dragging or by double-clicking a word, in the right margin Word displays an "Insert a Comment" icon. I find this very distracting, as the icon already appears in the Context menu that appears after making the selection. Plus, I can insert a comment using the ribbon tools. I am using Word 2024, but I have also confirmed this new behavior in Microsoft 365. Is there a way to remove this margin icon? It really is distracting to me.
—Robert Kovac (provide an answer for this Help Wanted question)

 
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