Share via

Word 2010: Styles window, Options > show styles IN USE shows styles that are NOT in use

Anonymous
2010-07-12T22:35:14+00:00

In a fresh document, typed from scratch, using Default (Black and White) style set and Office 2 font set, when I open the Styles window, click Options..., and select to show styles in use and uncheck all three options for formatting to show as styles, I see the four styles that ARE in my document, as well as a whole bunch of styles that are definitely NOT in use in my document.

The styles that are in the document are Normal, No Spacing, and two that I created (Category, which is paragraph/character and Emphasized, which is character). Styles that are NOT in use in my document, but which are listed, include Heading 1, Heading 2, Title, and quite a few others. I just typed this short document myself and I know that I have not ever selected any of these styles.

I am reworking a word processing assignment from Word 2007 to Word 2010. In Word 2007, I got exactly the results I expected, with only the four styles actually in use in the document shown. I'm following the exact steps to try to show only the styles that are in use in my document. Why are all these extra styles showing up and what can I do to get rid of them? "In use" should mean "in use", not "in use plus whatever Word feels like showing me". What am I missing?

Thanks,

liz

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous
2010-09-24T23:06:26+00:00

You have to open a NEW Word document to change the settings!  Change Styles>click Show Preview>go to Options>Style Pane Options>Show all styles>Sort Alphabetical>click ALL new documents in this template, click OK.  Go back to Styles that are now previewed, click on paragragh sign with 'a' next to STYLE and then hit the drop down box that shows up>"Update Body Text to Match Selection"  This will move the option into your tool bar!!!

Was this answer helpful?

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous
2010-09-24T23:01:40+00:00

I found that IF I open a new Word document, I can click on the corner arrow below Change Styles.  Then, I found Heading 2 and Heading 3 (which were missing) and by clicking on the paragraph sign with the little "a" on the right, a drop down arrow shows up and THEN I the option "Update Heading 2 to match selection" and the option will be added into your Styles quick tools bar! 

YAY! problem solved.  Also found that in earlier documents, when I got to the Styles List, I could click the box for "Preview" and if I then went into "Options"  the "Style Pane Options" box popped up!  I changed "Select Styles to Show" to ALL and "Select how list is sorted" to alphabetical!

Running the Academic version of Office 2010 which was offered (on sale) at my college's bookstore!  Now maybe I can pass my Keyboarding class and my Intro to Windows class!  I couldn't find Heading 2 & 3 which I needed for a couple of my assignments.  My instructor couldn't help me but the tutor and I figured out that it had to be something going awry with my home pc!  Hallelujah!

Was this answer helpful?

0 comments

24 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2012-02-08T21:11:57+00:00

    I solved this problem by:

    Selecting Style Pane > Options

    Select Styles to Show > In Use

    Select OK

    All of the styles that are in the document display in the Styles Pane (the actual problem)

    Select the down arrow for any style that you know you are not using > Click the "Select All: Not currently used"

    After I did this magically only the styles that are truly "In Use" showed up.

    Gotta be some software glich.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2010-07-12T23:29:25+00:00

    Pam,

    Thanks for your quick reply, but that changes nothing, unfortunately. I get the same list. I would almost expect this list for All styles, but it doesn't include them all.

    What you've said is the reverse of my experience with Word 2007 (although I will readily admit that I am sure I have far less experience than you do). "In use" has always been just the styles actually in use in the document, while "in current document" is any style that's ever been used in that document, regardless of whether it's actually in use now. I know I've been using this in my class at least three years, and probably for much longer than that. This is how I have my students check to be sure that they're using the proper formatting in their documents.

    Also, this is a pretty fresh install of Word 2010. I have never, ever used the styles Subtitle, Subtle Emphasis, Emphasis, Intense Emphasis, or several others on the list in any document on the computer, whether in Word 2007 or Word 2010. It's not the computer I normally use for word processing, I don't use Word as my day-to-day word processing program, and I would not use any of those styles even if it were.

    I have just confirmed that Word 2007 behaves as described in paragraph 2 by opening one of the "offending" documents in Word 2007 on the test computer and two other computers, as well as in Word 2010 on another computer. In Word 2007 on all three computers, when I choose "in use", it shows me the four styles I expect. When I open the same documents in Word 2010 on two computers, I get extra fonts. I used the same options for both 2007 and 2010 (I'm rewriting materials originally written for 2007 for 2010).

    Something has changed. I hope that it's a setting. If it's not, I'd call this a bug. It's definitely not a feature!

    liz

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2010-07-12T22:55:31+00:00

    Word shows as in use any style that has ever been in use in a document or its template. If you only want to see styles that are actually in the document, changestyles to showtoin current document .   

    Pam

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments