Apply AutoFormat options?

Question

I'm using Office 365, Word 2016 for Mac. In previous versions, if I remember correctly, the AutoFormat command gave you the option to apply all the settings at once to an open document--to change all the straight quotes to smart quotes, for example. Now all I can find is the AutoFormat As You Type option. Where do I find the all-at-once option, or is it gone?

Answer 1

It isn't just that specific command... In Office 2016 there currently is no provision in the User Interface for modifying the Ribbon or the Menus. The only toolbar is the Quick Access Toolbar [QAT] which has a very limited number of commands available from the dropdown list at its right end.

Answer 2

It is astonishing the Microsoft continues to demand that its standard user base somehow intuit such solutions rather than provide them right out of the box. The absence of customizable ribbons and the immersion of standard features deep into arcane keyboard commands (that must be memorized and perhaps limited in number) is puzzling to say the least. Were Microsoft not the giant behemoth on the word processing scene, users would surely abandon it for a more user friendly application.

MS has been talking for many many months about adding customization to the ribbon. We're still waiting, even as we cough up monthly subscription charges.

Answer 3

Hi,

Thanks for the post!

You can still utilize that functionality by mapping a custom shortcut to the AutoFormat command. Go to Tools->Customize Keyboard.... Under Categories, select All Commands, then use the search field to search for and select FormatAutoFormatBegin. Select a keyboard shortcut for the command using the Press new keyboard shortcut field.

In case it's needed, more information on customizing keyboard shortcuts may be found here: http://support.office.com/en-US/article/Create-or-delete-a-keyboard-shortcut-in-Word-2016-for-Mac-03b6f299-5dc3-462d-9836-9025a4bd927c

Thanks!

Answer 4

But what if we want to customize it into a toolbar, by adding an icon? Or choose it from a menu? Is it really this hidden an option now?