Creating and Deleting AutoCorrect Entries

AutoCorrect comes with a large number of built-in entries that range from simple typos (for example, abotu instead of about ) to basic grammatical mistakes (for example, may of been instead of may have been ) and some symbols (for example, AutoCorrect corrects (r) to a registered symbol, ). You can add as many custom entries as you need. You can also replace or delete the built-in entries if you find them inconvenient.

To work with AutoCorrect entries, choose Tools AutoCorrect Options to display the AutoCorrect dialog box. (In Outlook, choose Tools Options, click the Spelling tab, and then click AutoCorrect Options. In Office 2000, choose Tools AutoCorrect.)

Creating an AutoCorrect Entry

To create an AutoCorrect entry, follow these steps:

1. If the active document contains the replacement text for the AutoCorrect entry, select it. (Alternatively, copy the text from another application.)

2. Display the AutoCorrect dialog box.

3. Type the entry name in the Replace text box.

4. Type or paste the replacement text in the With text box. If you selected text in the active document in step 1, the application enters it in the With text box for you.

5. Click the Add button.

   Note

   If an AutoCorrect entry with this name already exists, AutoCorrect changes the Add button to a Replace button. When you click this button, AutoCorrect prompts you to decide whether to overwrite the existing entry with the new entry.

Deleting an AutoCorrect Entry

To delete an AutoCorrect entry, select it in the list box (scroll or type down to it) and click the Delete button.

Renaming an AutoCorrect Entry

To change the name of an existing AutoCorrect entry, select it in the list so that the application enters the entry s name in the Replace text box and its contents in the With text box. Type the new name and click the Add button to create a new entry with that name and contents. Then delete the old entry.

Creating AutoCorrect Entries from Misspelled Words in Word

In Word, you can also create AutoCorrect entries from misspelled words the Spelling Checker has identified:

• Right-click a word the Spelling Checker has flagged with its red underline, and then choose the correct word from the AutoCorrect submenu.

• From the Spelling and Grammar dialog box, select the correct word in the Suggestions list box, and then click the AutoCorrect button.

Word corrects the term in the text and adds an AutoCorrect entry for the misspelling.

Creating Formatted AutoCorrect Entries in Word

In Word (and in Outlook, when you re using Word as the e-mail editor), you can also create formatted AutoCorrect entries. These can be text entries that contain formatting, entries that consist of graphics, or both. For example, you could create a formatted AutoCorrect entry that included your company name, address, and logo.

Note

Word stores formatted AutoCorrect entries in your Normal template (Normal.dot). Avoid creating large numbers of graphical AutoCorrect entries, because doing so can bloat the Normal template and make it slow to load.

To create a formatted AutoCorrect entry:

1. Enter the text and any graphics in a document, and apply formatting as needed.

2. Select the formatted items and choose Tools AutoCorrect Options to display the AutoCorrect Options dialog box.

3. Make sure the Formatted Text option button in the Replace Text as You Type section of the AutoCorrect tab is selected. For a graphic, Word selects this option automatically. For formatted text that doesn t include a paragraph mark, you sometimes need to select it yourself.

4. Type the name for the entry. Don t duplicate the name for an unformatted entry ”that s a recipe for confusion.

5. Click the Add button.