When creating a custom AutoCorrect entry in Word, be sure to format the text correctly so that it appears how you want it to in the AutoCorrect dialog box. For example, if you want to convert “ch” into “champion,” make sure that the Formatted Text radio button is selected, then type the text that you would like to replace it with in the Replace field and click OK.
You can also create shortcuts for common words and phrases that are hard to remember or difficult to type, so that they are automatically added to the list when you insert an AutoText entry. These shortcuts are a great way to save you time as you drafting your documents.
Creating an AutoText entry is easy in most versions of Word, but be sure to use the Building Blocks Organizer instead of just the Quick Parts Organizer to ensure that you get the correct formatting for the text you insert. For more information, see this article: How to create and manage autotext entries in Microsoft Office 2007.
Making changes to a built-in autocorrect entry is also a good way to make it work better for you. In most versions of Word, you can find these shortcuts by clicking the AutoCorrect button in the Proofing options dialog box (see Figure 1).
However, you may find that a shortcut is no longer working as intended after an update to Word, or you simply need to make changes to the shortcut. For this reason, it is important to regularly review the list and update the shortcuts if you find them no longer work for you.
To edit an existing AutoText entry, go to the same place where you inserted the shortcut-Insert | Text | Quick Parts-and select Building Blocks Organizer again. This will give you access to the same settings that were used when you inserted the shortcut.
Another useful tip for editing an AutoText entry is to use a macro. This is a technique that many users don’t know about, but it can be very useful if you have a long list of AutoText entries and you need to delete them all in a single step.
Using a macro is a good idea for both new and old AutoCorrect entries. It can also help you if you have to transfer a lot of AutoCorrect entries from one computer to another.
For the first few AutoText entries that you create, you should be very careful about what characters you enter in the Replace and With boxes. These characters should be easy to remember and not the same as a word itself or an abbreviation that you might need.
Once you have a short list of AutoText entries, you can create and save them as a document file. This will keep them synchronized between your home and work computers and help you if you lose or inadvertently delete them from the computer.
You can also use a macro to batch remove multiple AutoCorrect entries from the list at once. This can be useful if you need to delete the same entries for many different clients or projects, or if you have a lot of them that you want to save as a backup file.
