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Time Saving Tips Search BusinessSoftwareMadeEasy.com Remove Formatting when Pasting Text Originally Posted September 28 2008
If you are like me, you probably try to minimize re-typing as much as possible. One technique that you probably use is the Cut (or Copy) and Paste. For example, if you are looking at a web page and need to copy a model number, serial number, or something with detail, you can merely highlight/select it, press CTRL + C to copy, open a Word document, Excel Spreadsheet, or E-mail then press CTRL + P to paste it. But, there may be a problem - the formatting of the text will probably transfer to what ever you pasted it in to. Here's how you can overcome it.
When you paste, instead of pressing CTRL + P,
1. Edit > Paste Special
2. Select Unformatted Text
3. Click OK
*This process works in most Microsoft programs
| Can't open a file but don't want to buy the software? This will help. Originally Posted Aug 4 2008
Have you ever gotten an e-mail attachment and not had the program to open it? Well for many popular Microsoft programs, you can download a 'viewer' software that will let you see what you have been missing.
Most likely, you will need the PowerPoint Viewer. Here's where you can get it: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=428D5727-43AB-4F24-90B7-A94784AF71A4&displaylang=en
Also, Microsoft has viewer software for Word http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=95E24C87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en
and Excel http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c8378bf4-996c-4569-b547-75edbd03aaf0&displaylang=EN
There isn't a viewer for Publisher, but you can download and install a 60 trial of Publisher 2007 at: http://us1.trymicrosoftoffice.com/product.aspx?re_ms=oo&family=publisher&culture=en-US
I hope this helps! | Gain more real estate when using Microsoft Office 2002 (XP) and 2003
Originally Posted: Jan 14 2008
If you are using Microsoft Office 2002 (aka Microsoft Office XP) or 2003, you may notice that when you start one of the programs like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint you are presented with a window on the right hand side of the screen that says 'Getting Started'. This is known as the Task Pane. If you are like me, this is more of a distraction than a help since this takes away from the valuable real estate on my screen.
Here's how to suppress the Task Pane window from appearing in your favorite programs in Microsoft Office 2002 or 2003:
In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint:
1. Tools > Options...
-In the View-tab
2. Uncheck 'Startup Task Pane'
3. Click OK
Short & sweet!
I hope this helps!
| Microsoft Word Numbering numbering more than you want? Oct 21 2007
If you use Microsoft Word you probably have use the Numbering feature to number several lines (paragraphs) in sequence. The problem with this feature is that if you try to apply the Numbering feature to several lines scattered within the a document, sometimes Microsoft Word tries to carry-over the previous numbering sequence to additional lines which you may not necessarily want.
To quickly overcome this, here’s what you do:
1. Select/Highlight the Entire Line (Paragraph)
2. Right Click on the Selected Line
3. Select ‘Restart Numbering’ or in Word 2007 select ‘Restart at 1’
If you never used the Numbering feature, here’s how:
1. Select the Lines (paragraphs) that you want to apply a numbering sequence
2. Format > Bullets and Numbering…
3. Click the ‘Number’ tab
4. Select the Number format style you like
5. Click OK
*You can even select the Numbering button in the Formatting Toolbar at the top of the Screen
That's it! | Why can't I open Word or Excel files with 'X' at the end? Oct 15 2007
You may have started to receive Word and Excel files from your colleagues that you find that you can't open. They usually end with 'X' after their name like Proposal.docx or Commission Totals.xlsx. These files were created in using the 2007 version of Word and Excel respectively and unlike other versions they are not backwards compatible. In this case we have two solutions.
First, we can download a free converter from Microsoft that will allow us to access files created in Office 2007 software programs at:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
Second, we can ask our colleagues with Office 2007 to save the files in 97-2003 format by:
1. Click the Office button in the upper left hand side of the screen
2. Click 'Save As'
3. Select ' _____ 97 - 2003 ___' from the list
4. Name and save the file as you would normally
That's it!
| What is the difference between Save and Save As? Aug 6 2007
You may have wondered what is the difference between Save and Save As. I have been asked this question several times and have been a little pressed to come up with a simple explanation. Maybe this will give some little clarification of what is difference between the two.
When you select Save - It will:
- Save the currently open File
- Save it with the same name
- Save it in the same Folder on your computer
Why should you use Save?
- You should use Save when you have made changes to the currently open File and want to retain those changes.
When you select Save As - It will:
- Prompt you to save the currently open File with a different name
- Prompt you to save the currently open File in the same Folder on your computer (although you can change Folders)
- Verify if you want to Overwrite the existing File (if you use the same File name and save into the safe Folder)
When should you use Save As?
- You should use Save As when you want to create a file based on the currently open file but want to keep the open file in-tact. For Example if the currently open file is a contract or letter and you want to personalize it with your contact's information (Let me mention that there is a better ways of doing this). Another situation is when you receive a File as an attachment. You can open the File, then select Save As... to save it to your My Documents Folder or somewhere else that is easy to find.
I hope this explination helps!
| How to reveal hidden characters in Word July 30 2007
Hidden characters are included in every Word document. Every time you press the Tab key, Spacebar, and Enter key a character for each is placed into your Document just all the other alphanumeric characters, but these are usually concealed from view.
These Hidden Characters sometimes cause formatting problems like when you can't align your text horizontally on the page or when an extra blank page prints at the end of your Document (see March 14 2005 Tip).
You can quickly troubleshoot these problems, but only if you can see these hidden characters. Here's how:
In Word 2003 or older
In the Toolbar:
1. Look for the Hidden Character button 
If you don’t see the Hidden Character button, click on the  in the Toolbar and find it there
2. Click it
-The hidden characters are revealed in your Word Document.
In Word 2007
In the Toolbar:
Under the Home tab in the Paragraph section
1. Click the button
-The hidden characters are revealed in your Word Document
Now you can delete the extra Tab, Space, or stray Paragraph to get your formatting right!
| Turn-off the automatic first letter in a sentence capitalization June 17 2007
Well, some consider this feature helpful but like other Microsoft 'features' sometimes it's not.
This feature is controlled in the AutoCorrect function. Here's how you can turn it off
In Microsoft Word 2003
1. Tools > AutoCorrect
-The AutoCorrect window opens
-Under the AutoCorrect tab
2. Uncheck 'Capitalize the first letter of sentences'
3. Click OK
In Microsoft Word 2007
1. Click the Office Button 
2. Click the 'Word Options' button (lower right hand side of the menu)
-The Word Options window opens
3. Click 'Proofing' in the left hand margin
4. Click the 'AutoCorrect Options...' button
5. Uncheck 'Capitalize the first letter of sentences'
6. Click OK
7. Click OK
That's it! | Can't insert merge fields in your Mail Merge template in ACT! 2007? June 3 2007
If you are using ACT! 2007 (Standard or Premium for Workgroups), have Microsoft Word as your default word processing program, and tried to create a Mail Merge template you may have discovered something missing - the ACT! Merge Fields. Fortunately, Sage addresses the problem with a downloadable Hotfix for this version of ACT!.
Installing the HotFix is a two-step process. First, the download:
1. Go to: http://www.act.com/community/profile/login/index.cfm?type=profile&Host=www.act.com&Path=/support/updates/index.
cfm&QS=&CFID=36296765
2. Create an account If you haven't already (I know this is annoying, but they didn't ask me)
-After you have logged in
3. Click: http://www.act.com/support/updates/index.cfm?DOWNLOAD=349
4. Click 'Download Now'
5. Save it to your computer that is easy to find, like your Desktop or your My Documents folder
*It may be a good idea to save it to a network or shared drive if you have to install this Hotfix on other computers or you can just copy the downloaded Hotfix onto a USB Flash drive.
Second, the installation:
1. Close all programs including ACT!
2. Double click on the downloaded Hotfix file to start the installation
-The HotFix is installed
That's it! | Stop using sticky notes and start using Watermarks on your important documents October 2 2006
Q: I work in a law firm and work with several documents as part of the cases we are involved in. I find myself using stick notes to denote specific documents, which is a little cumbersome in some cases. Other times, they just fall off the page. Is there a way that I can have a watermark print across the entire page of each document if I create these documents in Microsoft Word?
A: If you find yourself in this situation, you can take advantage of Microsoft Word 2003 Watermark feature when printing your document. Watermarks are semi-transparent inscriptions set diagonally across the page.
To set this up all you need to do is:
-In Word 2003
1. Format > Background > Printed Watermark...
-The Printed Watermark window appears
2. Select 'Text Watermark'
-In the Text field
3. Select the appropriate text
-You can even type in a custom watermark
4. Click the Apply button
5. Click the Close button
That's it!
Now your document is clearly marked and you don't have to worry about those sticky labels falling off! | Incorrectly spelled words saved in MS Word dictionary July 10 2006
Q: Sometimes when using the Spell Checker feature in Word, I have added several incorrect spellings to the Dictionary. How can I delete them?
A: Here’s how:
-In Word:
1. Tools > Options…
2. Click the ‘Spelling & Grammar’ tab
3. Click the ‘Custom Dictionary…’ button
-The Custom Dictionary window appears
At this point, you usually have one dictionary highlighted called ‘Custom.dic’. If not, then select it
4. Click the ‘Modify’ button
-This brings up all the words in the dictionary
5. Browse through the list and Select/Delete the words that are incorrect
-When done
6. Click OK
7. Click OK
8. Click OK
By the way: The Spell Checker in Word is the same Spell Check mechanism that is used in all Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, etc). When you make the above changes in Word, the dictionary will be updated in these programs too. | What the heck is '~$WRL2486.TMP'? June 26 2006
Q: I noticed that I have several files that seem to appear then disappear in my My Documents folder – something like '~$WRL2486.TMP'. What are they?
A: These files are generated my Microsoft Word. Word collects the changes that you make to a document into these temporary Files. They reason they disappear is when you close Word the changes are assimilated into your Document and the temporary files are deleted.
Sometimes, these files aren't deleted because something happened when Word was shutting down. If you are into good housekeeping, you can delete these Files manually.
Before you do you want to:
-Check when to see if the File was recently used (which may be a way to recover a lost document). In the Folder that the '~$WRL2486.TMP' type File exists, you can hover your Mouse over the File name and check the Date Modified.
-Be sure Word is not open or running
If both of these check-out, just delete the File normally.
There is a built-in safe-guard. You won't allow you to delete a File if it is currently in use. So, if the '~$WRL2486.TMP' is being used, you won't be able to delete it.
| Better Microsoft Word Template Management June 19 2006
Q: I need a better way of organizing my Word templates than just saving them into my My Documents folder. I invariably change the ‘master’ or delete the standard info I like to have in my templates. Can you share a more efficient method?
A: There is a faster way of creating and managing Templates in Word and will have the additional benefit of keeping your originals in-tact. Here’s what you do to Create, Save, then use a Word template:
-In Word
1. Create a document with all the information you typically need to complete leaving the variable information blank (You can even open an existing file but be sure to leave the variable information blank)
2. File > Save (Or File > Save As… if you are using an existing file)
3. Enter a name for the Template
-Just below where you typed in the File Name in the ‘Save as type…’ field
4. Select ‘Word Template’ from the drop-down list
5. Click ‘Save’
-This saves the Document as a Template
Now, when you need to use the Template just:
1. Open Word
2. File > New…
In Word XP/2002
-Under the ‘New From Template’ section in the Right Hand Margin (aka the Task Pane)
3. Click the ‘General Template’ link
4. Find your Template in the ‘General’ tab
5. Select/Highlight the Template you want to use
6. Click OK
In Word 2003
-Under the ‘Templates’ section in the Right Hand Margin (aka the Task Pane)
3. Click the ‘On my computer…’ link
4. Find your Template in the ‘General’ tab
5. Select/Highlight the Template you want to use
6. Click OK
| Insert your accent into Word documents April 17 2006
Q: I sometimes need to type in a word in Word (Heh!), that has an accent or a tilde (~) above a letter, but switching to a different default language is too cumbersome for such a little task. How can I enter these types of characters without a hassle?
A: In Word, there is a handy feature that will allow you to enter non-American English letters. Here’s how you use it:
-In Word:
1. Insert > Symbol...
2. Scroll either up or down to find the letter you desire
-More than likely you will find your character in the Subset: Latin-1
3. Click 'Insert'
4. Click 'Close' when done | How can I change the default folder Word that word saves new files? Dec 5 2005
Q: I regularly save my Word documents to a specific folder on my company’s server Ex. K:\Staff\Marketing\Paul M. It is a real hassle to click through the folder tree to find the folder when I save each new document. How can I change the default folder Word saves new files?
A: Here’ how:
In Word
1. Tools > Options
2. Click the 'File Locations' tab
-Under 'File types:' column:
3. Click 'Documents'
4. Click the 'Modify' button
Locate the folder you want to have Word automatically save to
5. Click OK
6. Click OK
That's it!
| Leave breadcrumbs to find your files Nov 7 2005
Q: I have noticed that some of the Word that I receive have the location to where they are saved in the footer (Ex. K:\Legal Documents\Clients\Franklin-Templeton\AnnualContract.doc). I would really like to have the same on my Word documents. How do you set this up?
A: This series of drives & folders that a specific file is saved is called a Path.
To Print the Path in the Footer in a Word document:
1. Open the document
2. View > Header and Footer
3. Switch to the Footer (you can do this by scrolling down the screen)
4. Place the Mouse in the Footer then click once (this brings the cursor into the Footer)
5. Insert > Field...
In the 'Field Names:' field
6. Select 'FileName'
7. Select 'Add path to fieldname'
8. Click 'OK'
9. Change the formatting of the Path to something appropriate (usually a smaller font)
10. Click the 'Close' button on the Header and Footer toolbar
That's it!
| Use AutoCorrect for nomenclature Oct 3 2005
Q: In my industry, I have several nomenclatures that are quite lengthy to type. Is there a way that I can just type in the first few letters of the word then have the rest of the word appear?
A: Yes. MS Word has a feature called AutoCorrect. You can use this feature for this task as well as correct commonly misspelled words. Here’s how:
In Word:
1. Tools > AutoCorrect Options...
2. In the Replace field, type in the first few letters. Ex. ‘stereol’
3. In the With field, type in the complete word. Ex. ‘stereolithography’
4. Click OK
Now every you type in ‘stereol’, Word will automatically replace it with stereolithography.
That's it!
| Center text vertically on a cover page Oct 17 2005
Q: I write several reports a year in Word. Is there a way to center the text of my cover page quickly? When I try to do it manually, it takes several tries before I get it right.
A: Yes Here’s how:
-In Word:
1. Type in the Text that you want on your cover page
2. File > Page Setup…
3. Click the ‘Layout’ – tab
- Under the ‘Page’ section
4. Select ‘Center’ from the drop-down list
5. Place your cursor at the absolute end of your document
6. File > Page Setup…
7. Click the ‘Layout’ – tab
-Under the ‘Page’ section
7. Select ‘Top’ from the drop-down list
8. Under the ‘Apply to:’ section
9. Select ‘This point forward’
10. Click OK
That’s it!
| Extra Pages Printing in my Word Document March 14 2005
Q: Sometimes I get an extra plank page when I print a Word document. Why is that and how can stop it?
A: Well, when you are typing a letter, memo, document, report, etc, in Word, Word is recording each keystroke. What I mean is that every time you press the keyboard, Word is entering a character on the page.
Most of the characters are visible-like the letters that consist of the text you type. Some of the characters are invisible-like when you press the SPACEBAR or when you press the ENTER key. The invisible character left behind after pressing the ENTER key is the crux of this problem.
The reason a blank page prints when you print that Document in Word is because at the end of that Document there is a collection of invisible ENTER characters-enough to push your Document into printing an extra page.
To eliminate these characters (and the unneeded blank page) all you need to do is:
1. Press and hold the CTRL key and press the END key
-This will take place your cursor at the absolute end of your Document
2. Press the BACKSPACE key until you reach the last text of your Document
3. Save your Document
-You can then verify that you have eliminated the extra page by looking at the lower left hand side of the Window. You will see a fraction like '1/2' which means your cursor is on page one of two. If your Document was 4 pages and you successfully deleted the unneeded ENTER characters it should read '1/3'.
If you would like to see the non-printing characters like SPACEBAR, ENTER, etc., look in the Toolbar in the upper right hand side of the Window for a button that has a paragraph symbol and click on it. Click on it again to turn it off.
| Where did the Help go? April 4 2005
Q: I was working on an Excel spreadsheet and the right hand margin the 'Search for:' help field disappeared. How do I get it back into view?
A: The margin is called the 'Task Pane' and it was a new feature in Microsoft Office 2003. Here's how you get it back:
If you use Microsoft Office 2003 version software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). Perhaps you noticed with this flavor of Office there is a new Window that appears in the right hand side of the screen that (tries to) provide you with instructions on how to complete a task or as a help reference-this Window is called the Task Pane.
If you are like me, perhaps you have been in the middle of the process (maybe finishing mail merge), following the instructions in Task Pane, you mash a key, and it disappears. Now you are left trying to coax its reappearance.
Well, to bring it back all you need to do is this:
Press the F1 key on your keyboard.
-The 'Task Pane' reappears
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