Inserting and Creating AutoText in Microsoft Word

AutoText is an easy way to speed up the creation of your documents. It allows you to insert automatically predefined text in your document.

Using Existing AutoText Entries

Word has a number of AutoText entries preinstalled. To access them, click Insert>>AutoText. On the submenu, you can select from a list of entries. When you click an entry, Word automatically inserts it into your document.

Defining Your Own AutoText Entries

You can make things even easier By customizing AutoText entries. To add AutoText entries, you must first open the Normal.dot template, the template upon which all Word documents are based.

By default the Normal.dot template is located in C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates in Windows XP. You can use the Open dialog box to open it.

Note: If you try to open the Normal.dot template fromWindows Explorer, a new, blank Word document will open; you won’t be able to change the template.

Add your own AutoText entries by clicking Insert>>AutoText and selecting AutoText on the submenu. In the Box labeled Enter AutoText Entries here, type your AutoText entry. Then click Add. Repeat for each one you’d like to enter. Click OK when you’re done.

Save the Normal.dot template. To ensure the template is indeed saved as a template, select .dot in the drop-down box labeled Save as type in the Save dialog box.

Now, you will be able to select your own custom text from the AutoText dialog box.