Why did Microsoft Word just replace your straight quotes with curly quotes? Why did the e-mail address you typed suddenly become active? It may take a little while to get used to the automatic changes Word makes as you type. But you'll soon realize how well Word is working behind the scenes to make your word processing as efficient and accurate as possible.
AutoCorrect automatically fixes common typing, spelling, and grammatical errors as you type. For example, it can correct two initial capital letters; correct accidental usage of the CAPS LOCK key; or replace (c) with a formatted copyright symbol ©. To see a list of all the built-in automatic corrections in Word, click AutoCorrect on the Tools menu.
You can also create your own AutoCorrect entries. For example, if you know that you frequently type "turna round," you can have Word replace it with "turn around."
For more information about using AutoCorrect, type fix typos as I work in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab, and then click Search.
If you press the SPACEBAR and that fraction you typed suddenly shrinks and appears differently formatted, AutoFormat As You Type is at work. By using this feature, you can quickly apply headings, bulleted or numbered lists, numbers, symbols, and fractions to your text. You can also format text automatically, for example by formatting Internet addresses as hyperlinks or replacing two hyphens with an em-dash. You can select the elements that you do and don't want Word to format automatically.
For more information about using AutoFormat As You Type, type format as I type in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab, and then click Search.
AutoText offers a way to store and quickly insert items such as text, graphics, and tables. If you send customers a monthly report that always includes the same legal disclaimer, you can avoid retyping it every month by storing it as an AutoText entry. Then when you turn on the AutoComplete feature, you can quickly insert it by typing only a few characters. Later, if the disclaimer text changes, you can easily change the AutoText entry to have the new disclaimer text at your fingertips.
For more information about using AutoText with AutoComplete, type autocomplete in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab, and then click Search.
If you are using the Office Assistant, you can quickly start a letter by typing a salutation. Start a new document, then type a salutation that starts with the word "Dear" followed by a name and a colon or comma, for example:
Dear Maria,
In the Office Assistant, click Get help with writing the letter. Word starts the Letter Wizard.
If you don't want Word to start letters for you this way, you can turn off the Office Assistant. Right-click the assistant, click the Options tab, and clear the Use the Office Assistant check box.
If you don't want Word to make any automatic changes, or if you want Word to make some changes but not others, you can turn the options off or on at any time.
For more information about turning off automatic features, type turn on or off automatic features in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab, and then click Search.