Recent problems with Publisher

Question

For years, i have been able to hover my curser over a WordArt piece until the 4-direction arrow appears then by left clicking WordArt will appear in the ribbon and I am able to edit.

Not anymore.

I now have to fumble with getting the WordArt piece into a solid work-square that leads me to being able to edit. Is my old way gone forever?

Answer 1

Yes, a recent patch from MSFT has broken Publisher in an effort to fix something else. Problems selecting and editing pictures were the first to be reported and then several posters shared that they were having problems with wordart.

Though the two possible workaround deal primarily with fixing the problem with pictures, the fact that you can delete the pictures of your test publication and the problem with your wordart also goes away, suggests that if you 'clear the picture style' this might fix your problems for the short term:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/issue-with-pictures-in-publisher/de7b5148-00ae-4eb5-8beb-f73dab42791e?LastReply=true#LastReply

In reference to your last question as to whether to allow 'auto updates', in this case you will have to wait for an update from MSFT to fix the current bug they created by trying to patch something else.

With that said in my experience helping here in this forum, the vast majority of the posted Publisher problems are being created by a mandatory Windows patch or an optional Office patch that breaks Publisher. I am of the old school that believes that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I don't allow any auto patches if I can prevent them. I also don't automatically update to the latest, greatest version of any piece of software; there has to be a good reason...if it ain't broke... But this is me...your mileage will vary.

DavidF

Answer 2

Thank you DavidF,

Just to be sure you understand my test. I had to delete everything on the page before the WordArt ribbon would come up. It would be a crazy lot of work to do that in my monthly 16-page newsletter.

Do you have any wild guess when a fix can happen from MS?

Thank you again for your help, as I said, I did not know about this community until two webmasters and a few computer folks had no answers for me. I agree with your "ain't broke" belief. I will keep the auto on for the time being, in hopes our problem will be fixed.

VTNorth

Answer 3

To your question of creating a new MS pub document to see if I have the same WordArt problem as before.......

I created a new document, and yes, the same problem exists.

I created a 1-page document and started by putting the WordArt footer at the bottom of the page (like my newsletter). When I finished that step, I could go back and do the normal "hover" with my curser, the 4-direction arrow would appear, and the WordArt ribbon would come up.

I then added two text boxes with a picture in one of them. When I went back to the WordArt portion, I could not do the hover thing any longer. Interestingly, when I deleted the two text boxes and the picture, I had no problem working with the WordArt portion.

I have also looked for automatic updates in my Publisher the last month or two and found none. As I said, I have been using Publisher for 15+ years and have never had this particular problem. I feel something recently has created this problem (s), Since I changed PCs a few years ago and switched to MS365 and the $70/yr fee, there has been frequent automatic updates. Should I not allow the auto updates??

Answer 4

My version is the same...2204 (15128.20178 click to run)

One other problem I have found is simply clicking on to a picture that is in a pub project. Nothing happens. I have been simply covering the old pic with a new one, but that is not what I want to do.

I am not sure what you mean about "error information" unless you mean what I have added above.

Yes, I will try creating another document to see if the problem follows. A bit inconvenient with my normal 16-page monthly newsletter although. To save time I leave the boiler plate items in place each month.

When I went to MS for help the person helping wanted to go into my PC remotely and that was a scary option in 2022, I decline. I did not know this forum existed, thank you.

Answer 5

Hello VTNorth,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community and enjoy the time you've spent sharing detailed information. I understand that the problem is that in Publisher it is not possible to edit by placing the cursor on WordArt and then left clicking to bring up the ribbon. If my understanding is wrong, please correct me in the answer. I am pleased to offer you assistance on this issue.

We fully understand how frustrating and inconvenient this situation is. We need to know the following information in order to better help you solve the problem.

What version is your Publisher? After our test, there is no problem in inserting WordArt alone. The version we tested is: version 2204 (internal version 15128.20178 click-to-run)

Are there other problems besides WordArt?

If it is convenient, please share the error information to us so that we can troubleshoot further.

It is recommended that you try to create a new Publisher document and test whether the previous steps are feasible again.

In addition, we have recently received feedback from users about the Publisher problem, that is, pictures and shapes cannot be selected to move, etc. Your problem may also be related to this. We have submitted this problem to Microsoft for feedback and will solve this problem as soon as possible. Hope You can be patient.

Thank you for your patient support and cooperation, and look forward to your reply on the above questions. If you still have problems, please let me know and I will continue to help you with the problem.

Sincere greetings

Mavis - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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