Microsoft Word Annoying Automations

Automation is now a major part of all software, and it’s great to help correct mistakes or easier format things. In Microsoft Word, automation can sometimes be a bit of an annoyance for those creating documents.

It still has its useful aspects. Regardless, we want to show you how to eliminate automated features like Autocorrect and Autoformat. Both of these can be disabled, and we’ll show you how.

Read on to learn about how all automation on Word can be easily controlled so it doesn’t become a hindrance rather than helpful.

What are the Most Common Autocorrect Annoyances on Microsoft Word?

As we show in our YouTube tutorial, the most common autocorrect Word feature is correcting the first word in a paragraph if it’s misspelled. A common occurrence of this is if you type “teh” instead of “The” as you begin the paragraph.

When autocorrect is enabled on Word, it’ll automatically change it to “The” as many other autocorrect programs do. In a scenario like this, it’s very helpful, even if you’ve perhaps noticed the error anyway and made the change.

As many know, though, autocorrect can be a curse rather than a blessing. It can sometimes change words to other things when you meant something else. Once this starts happening, it’s sometimes best to disable autocorrect.

The same thing can often happen when you’re creating characters in a Word document. For instance, Word might automatically recognize a (C) you type as a copyright symbol when you’re merely creating a table with letters.

How exactly do you remove autocorrect and autoformat functionality on Word?

Click On the Smart Tag

Creating tables creates just as many automation problems in Word. As you create a numbered list, Word automatically indents the numbers into their standard format.

This works great if you really want it, but you may want your list to look different. To reverse autoformat for numbered lists and other tables, simply click on the little box you see to the left of the number.

It’s called a Smart Tag, identified with a little lightning bolt in the box. Hover over the black arrow in the box and click on it. You’ll see an additional box open, giving you options of what you want to do with autoformatting.

If you want to create a list of your own, choose “Stop Automatically Creating Numbered Lists”, which is the second option. Other options available include Undo, or Control AutoFormat Options.

We’ll show you how you can control these options to create what you want rather than adhere to auto features every time you create a document.

Other Typical AutoFormat Annoyances

Remember, you can also create a numbered list or bullet points by clicking on them in the top menu. Even if you decide to use those, autoformat can still be controlled to make lists look the way you want.

The same goes for other characters many Word users don’t realize they can change. For instance, if you’ve ever typed in an email address in a Word document, you know it always underlines it with a hyperlink. It’s possible to go in and tell AutoFormat to stop doing this if you don’t want automatic linking.

Fractions are another major annoyance if you’ve ever typed mathematical figures into a Word document. Whenever you type in a fraction, Word will often reduce the numbers into a miniature symbol.

One thing to know is if you just want to remove the autoformatting feature once while typing a document, press Ctrl Z on your keyboard. You’re basically doing a shortcut method of Undo.

What about diving a little deeper into changing all these formats? To get there, simply go into File Options.

Controlling Your File Options

After you click on File Options, click on Proofing in the main menu. Within the Proofing section, you’ll see a button that says “Autocorrect Options.” Click on that to call up a box with more detailed functions.

At the top of this box, you’ll see AutoCorrect, Math AutoCorrect, and AutoFormat as You Type. Click on AutoCorrect first to see what functions you have enabled.

There should be seven different options visible, with the ability to check or uncheck each one. “Replace Text as You Type” is always the most problematic of these options. If you’re happy keeping everything in place, you should have no problems.

If you want to replace a certain term with something else, you can manually add it into the “Replace/With:” box. At the bottom of this box is another box showing many common AutoCorrect functions. The (c) problem is there, plus others like “tm” and the “r” symbol for registered trademarks.

When you want these auto functions removed, just click on each one and select Delete.

Exploring AutoFormat as You Type

Select AutoFormat as You Type to see some slightly more complex functions you can change. You’ll find “Replace as You Type”, “Apply as You Type” and “Automatically as You Type” options here.

“Replace as You Type” has the option to turn off hyperlinking in website addresses as just one choice. It’s easy to turn it back on by simply pressing Ctrl K.

“Apply as You Type” has the automatic numbered lists options you can easily disable. We recommend you uncheck all the “Apply as You Type” options. These frequently create the biggest annoyances for those creating documents.

“Automatically as You Type” options should also be entirely unchecked for a better document creation experience. Things like formatting the beginning of a list item, auto indents, and defining styles based on your formatting can all go unchecked if you wish.

Finding Further Help for Your Word Documents

Our YouTube tutorial on Word automation is meant to help you remove these functions when you need to without eliminating them completely when you do want them.

We still encounter many Word users who don’t realize automation can be better controlled rather than being mere workarounds. Microsoft embedded a lot of control options in their software, yet often hidden without expert help.

Microsoft Word Annoying Automations